Nathan and Haley: A Love Story
by Kathleen Capri
Summary: Nathan and Haley meet on their first day of senior year in high school, and the rest is history.  A love story the way I would have had it.  Lucas and Haley weren't really friends, and Nathan and Haley get started in pretty much the same way. Naley mostly
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Nathan and Haley meet their senior year, and their lives are both changed. A little different than original series, but same storyline, sort of! Please read and review! This is my first fan fiction, by the way!

Nathan was walking towards his locker at Tree Hill High School, with his half-brother Lucas in tow. It was the beginning of their senior year, and it was going to be the best year yet. Nathan had just broken up with his girlfriend, Peyton Sawyer, so he was ready to party it up with his basketball friends and the rest of the cheerleaders.

"Man, Lucas, this is going to be the best year yet! Now that I don't have Peyton tying me down, I can party with whoever I want, whenever I want!"

"Nathan, just remember you'll only get that scholarship to Duke if you keep your grades up. You better get your act together and hope that they overlook your past academic performance." Lucas knew his little brother wanted to go to Duke, and the only way he was going to get a basketball scholarship to Duke was if he got his act together with schoolwork and pulled some better grades.

"Look Luke, try not to rain on my parade! It's the first day of senior year, and you're already riding me about school. Enjoy this moment, because it's only once we're seniors in high school!" Just as Nathan began to thrust his fist in victory, he knocked the books out of a short, honey-blonde girl's arms.

"Whoa, sorry about tha…" Nathan failed to finish his sentence because the girl standing in front of him was so beautiful. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a Stanford t-shirt, and her long, honey-blonde hair was in a braid over her shoulder, but Nathan was still captivated by her. "Hi, I'm Nathan Scott." Nathan held out his hand as he cockily smiled.

"Yeah, I know who you are. I'm Haley." Haley got down on one knee to get her books.

"Wow, AP Calculus, AP British Lit, AP Physics, you must be pretty smart." Nathan was impressed that there was someone who actually took all those classes at the same time.

"Yep, I'm going for valedictorian at the end of the school year." Haley did not seem impressed to be standing next to Nathan Scott, basketball extradonaire. Nathan was a little confused.

"Well, um, I hope to see you around, Haley, was it?" Nathan asked as she stood up.

"Yeah, um, sure. I gotta go. See you around." Haley rushed off in the opposite direction.

"Dude, she's a senior and I've never seen her before!" Nathan was amazed that were still senior girls that he had not yet dated or hooked up with at parties.

"Yes, you have little brother. She was in our freshmen English class and she was in your gym class sophomore year. She's been in at least one of my classes every year," Lucas explained.

"How can I not remember her? Well, if she's been in so many of your classes, what's she like?" Nathan was now amazed with the girl he had just met.

"Her name's Haley James. She's a straight-A student, and she's a tutor in the Tutor Center. She also is in the chorus in the musicals, and she volunteers a lot her time at a daycare center for underprivileged kids. She's definitely not your type though. Doesn't party, she's not really into cheerleaders or jocks, and she definitely is not someone you can just have sex with and then never call back. She seems more into relationships." Lucas had obviously paid more attention to his peers than Nathan.

"How do you know all of this stuff?" Nathan was still wondering why he had never seen her before.

"Because, I pay attention, and you don't," Lucas pointed his index finger at his smug little brother.

"Well, I'm going to have to get to know her more."

It was first period of her senior year, and Haley James was as excited as any one of her peers. But her morning of excitement was ruined when she walked into her European History classroom. Why? Because sitting in the front row with his half-brother Lucas next to him and cheerleaders Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer behind the two brothers, was Nathan Scott with a smug little smile on his face.

Nathan Scott was the hottest boy in the senior class at Tree Hill High, sure, Haley would admit that. But he also had a reputation as a heart-breaker, two-timing player. He was known to drink and hook up with random girls at parties, and he didn't have the best track record with school either. His only claim to fame was the fact that he and his brother, Lucas, were the two stars of the Tree Hill Ravens varsity basketball team. They had led the team to a victory in the state championship last year, and it looked like this year was going to be another good year.

But Haley knew how Nathan was all too well. She had heard stories from girls in her classes for four years about how Nathan would tell all sorts of lies to just to hook up with girls, and then leave them in the dust the next day. Haley knew better than to get involved. But here he was, in another one of her classes.

The bell rang as Haley sat down in the back corner. The teacher immediately started speaking, "Hello class, I'm Mr. Miller, and I'll be your European History teacher for the year. Now, don't get too comfortable, you will be changing seats in one moment." Haley was less than relieved; she didn't want to have to sit near Nathan or one of the robot cheerleaders. Lucas, that would be okay, but anything but… "Haley James, behind Nathan Scott." She saw Mr. Miller point to the back of the middle row, right in the seat behind where Nathan had already situated himself. Nathan smiled when he heard Haley's name.

"Hi Haley," Nathan offered as she sat down.

"Don't think you can play me for a fool Nathan; I've heard about all of your tricks." Haley wanted to make this fact clear before he tried anything.

"I'm just being friendly." Nathan was surprised that Haley wasn't taking the bait.

After that, class started and all Haley could think about was how this was going to be a long year.

It was about two weeks into the school year, and Haley was about to leave European History when Mr. Miller called her up to his desk. "Hi Mr. Miller; did you need anything?" Haley was always very courteous when speaking to her teachers.

"Yes, I was actually wondering if you'd be willing to tutor one of the students in our class. He's already behind, and it's only two weeks into the school year. I was wondering if you could help him catch up and keep up with the homework," Mr. Miller smiled at her.

"Um, yeah, I guess. Who is he?" Haley was curious about who was already behind when it was only two weeks into the new school year.

"Nathan Scott. I know you two don't seem to get along, but I was hoping since you've had so much success tutoring others in the past, you could help me out? If he doesn't catch up now, he's never going to."

"Well, I don't know Mr. Miller, I just have so much other stuff going on that…." Haley was interrupted.

"If you did this for me, I could maybe talk to your Calculus teacher about giving you some extra credit. If you helped me of course." Haley thought about this for a moment… Math was never Haley's strong suit, and extra credit could help her boost that A- to an A.

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I could help him out." Haley did really want the extra credit.

"Thanks, I'll send him to the tutor center tomorrow after school." Mr. Miller smiled at Haley once more out of gratitude.


	2. Feelings and Hesitation

Please, please, please read and then REVIEW! I got really excited when I saw that I had reviews, and that makes me want to write!

The next day after school, Haley walked to the tutor center and awaited her latest student. She was a little apprehensive about tutoring Nathan, but she knew it was for her grade, and besides, she could use the extra money that adding another student to her work load would give her.

Nathan Scott got his books from his locker, and started to walk towards the tutor center. Except, he had no idea where he was going. In almost four years, Nathan had never set foot in the school library, and had come nowhere near the tutor center. He spent all his time in class, the cafeteria, or the school gym practicing basketball. He was also nervous that Haley would give him a hard time.

Nathan finally walked into the tutor center, fifteen minutes late no less. Haley was less than amused, and it showed in the way her arms were crossed and the way her face was contorted into a frown and the way her eyebrows were raised. "What? I got lost," Nathan offered, looking for a little sympathy.

"Yeah, well, from now on, if you're more than five minutes late, I'm gone." Haley walked back to the table where she had set out her book, notebook, some flashcards, and other studying necessities. "Now, if you hold on just one more minute, I have to grab something and I'll be right back." Haley walked to a back room.

While she was gone, Nathan took the opportunity to look at some of Haley's personal items sitting out on the table. She had a simple cell phone, and she also had an iPod Classic. Nathan looked around, picked up the iPod, and started shuffling through her music. She had some okay music; Nathan was about to put in her earphones when Haley suddenly walked back into the room.

"What do you think you're doing?" Haley was holding a small just add water bowl of macaroni and cheese. "What gives you the right to look through my stuff?"

"Sorry I was just looking at your music. You've got decent taste in music, but you should listen to more hip hop. And what gives you the right to take a snack break during tutoring sessions?" Nathan could be defensive too.

"Um, well, seeing as how you were fifteen minutes late, I think I can have a snack. And I prefer to listen to music that doesn't portray women as sex objects and possessions." Haley was a little annoyed; who did this guy think he was?

"No, no; you gotta listen to the old stuff. That's the best. That's what I mostly listen to." Nathan smiled, silently hoping that Haley would lay off.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. Now, let's get studying. Mr. Miller tells me that you are already behind." With that, Nathan and Haley began their first tutoring session.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Haley had been tutoring Nathan for almost a month now, and there was definite improvement in Nathan's grades. His failing grade had already been raised to a D, which was an accomplishment for Nathan. He also noticed another change: Haley had been nicer to him. But she was also keeping her guard up. She was afraid that if she let Nathan get too close, he would use her and hurt her. She didn't want to get hurt again. But Nathan was also showing her a different side of him: he was funny, and considerate of her feelings. He had definitely picked up on the fact that Haley's favorite food was macaroni and cheese; she ate it every day during tutoring sessions. He always asked how her family was, and he was even early to sessions.

Haley was also very aware that maybe Nathan was starting to look at her in a different way too, but she quickly pushed that thought aside. _There's no way, I'm just a shy tutor girl, what would he want with me? _But Nathan was starting to look at her differently: he noticed the way her wavy hair was always done perfectly, even if Haley didn't think so. He noticed her sarcastic sense of humor, and she was opening up to him about her family life. He had even decided to start bringing her real macaroni cheese, instead of the easy just add water stuff that she always ate.

On their one month anniversary of tutoring, Nathan walked into the tutor center five minutes early, as usual, but today, he had an extra bag in his arm. When Haley walked in five minutes later, she was taken aback at Nathan's spread. "Wha, what is this?" Haley saw that Nathan had macaroni and cheese, two diet sodas, and a candy bar for each of them on the table in the tutor center.

"Well, I thought this would be better than microwave crap you eat every day." Nathan smiled at a surprised Haley.

"But, where did you get all of this from?" Haley couldn't help but laugh; she didn't know Nathan could be so chivalrous.

"Lucas's Mom, Karen, owns a café downtown, and I asked Luke for some help and he delivered." Nathan was quite pleased with himself. He had finally surprised Haley, the girl who had everything planned out. "Come, sit and enjoy. I hear Karen makes the best mac n' cheese." Nathan gestured to Haley's chair.

As Haley walked to go and sit down, she said, "Nathan, you really didn't have to do this. I'm just your tutor."

"Yes, but from what I hear, you are a very hard-worker, and hard work deserves to be recognized, right?"

"Yeah, I guess, but you didn't have to go through all of this trouble!" Haley was surprised as she took a fork to dig into the mac n' cheese. "But this macaroni looks really good, so I guess it's okay to take a break every once in a while!"

"Speaking of hard work, this is the quiz we just took," Nathan pulled a piece of paper out of his backpack and handed it to his tutor.

"Oh my gosh, Nathan! A C+! That's so wonderful, congratulations!" Haley couldn't help but be pleased with herself. She also couldn't help but notice that Nathan had really turned himself around in the past month. He had been early for every one of their sessions after that first day, he had laughed at her jokes, and now, he even took notice of her favorite food.

"Thanks, I couldn't have done it without your help." Nathan looked at Haley's eyes, and for a moment, Nathan's baby blues and Haley's gorgeous browns met. Haley quickly looked away.

"So um, have you and Lucas always been such good friends?" Haley asked as she continued to eat her macaroni.

"No. I didn't even really have to start dealing with him until he tried out for the basketball team. That's when I finally realized that our dad was really messed up, you know. I mean, who just abandons one son and then tells his other son, 'Okay, you really have to hate this kid now." Nathan shook his head at the previous relationship that he and Lucas shared.

"I don't even know the whole story, but wow. Your dad's a character. Did he really tell you to hate Lucas?" Haley was now a little intrigued.

"You don't know the infamous Dan Scott story? Wow, I didn't know there was a person in town who didn't know my personal history. Well, Dan and Lucas's mom, Karen, were together in high school. Then my dad went away to college while Karen was pregnant with Lucas. In college, he met my mom. My Mom got pregnant, and Dan chose to stay with my Mom. From as far back as I can remember, my Dad never had a good thing to say about Lucas or Karen. But know we're friends, and I even help out at Karen's Café sometimes." Nathan was amazed that he and Lucas weren't friends at one point in time. Now, they were inseparable: they played basketball together, they partied together, and they even worked at the café together sometimes.

"Wow. My family's crazy, but more in a silly way, not actual crazy," Haley laughed when she thought of her huge family. "I'm the baby of five: I have two older sisters and two older brothers. Growing up, it was always so loud, but now that it's just me, I almost miss the noise. I never really had that many friends; I usually just hang out with some of my chorus buddies, but I was always so afraid of what people would think of my family. Now I wish that I hadn't been so afraid." Except Haley knew why she was afraid, because the one time she let someone in, she had gotten hurt.

"Well, you don't have to be afraid of what I'd think of your family." Nathan smiled at a blushing Haley.

"Well, um, let's get to tutoring." As Nathan got his books out, Haley couldn't help but smile.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Over the next week, Nathan surprised Haley even more. He continued to bring her macaroni every day. One day, Nathan offered to walk Haley home, and they were able to talk the whole time. The next day, not only did they walk to Haley's house together, but Haley and Nathan sat on her front porch talking for almost an hour. They continued to walk and talk until one day, Nathan really put himself out there.

It was the end of their tutoring session, and as they got ready to leave, Nathan asked Haley, "Haley, would you like to go out with me?" As Nathan got to know Haley, he found her to be the kindest, most gentle person he ever knew, and he was becoming a better person for that.

"What?" Haley was very taken aback. She almost gasped, but she didn't want to disappoint Nathan. Over their walks home, Haley had gotten to know a completely different Nathan. He was sweet to her, and he was chivalrous as well. He was considerate of her feelings, and Haley noticed that Nathan had transformed from a party boy to a chivalrous one.

"A date. I pick you up, we go to dinner, talk, and then I bring you home." Nathan had hoped that the feelings he had started to develop for Haley were mutual.

"I know what a date is Nathan. But last I heard, you were more interested in hooking up with girls than dating girls."

"I know, but you tutoring me has changed something. Okay, look, I don't really like to talk about my feelings, but when I'm around you, my heart… it feels like it's going to burst out of my chest. Okay, your kindness makes me smile, and when I have to leave your house after we walk home, I, I, I'm sad. I don't like going home because it means that I don't get to talk to you and spend time with you anymore."

"Nathan, I don't know. Look," Haley didn't even know what to say. "I…I've gotta go."

"Haley!" But it was already too late. Haley had ran out of the door, not even waiting for Nathan.


	3. The First Date

**Hi readers! I'm so happy that I keep getting emails that people are subscribing to my story, but please review! I want your thoughts, suggestions, what you would to see, etc. So I'm going to try and make this chapter a little longer, so sorry if the update took a little longer. Please read and review**!

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Haley had run out of the tutor center so abruptly, that on her way out she ran smack into Brooke Davis, captain of the cheerleading squad. "Whoa, there. Watch where you're going please!" Brooke couldn't believe that someone had run into her and not even cared. She was the head cheerleader!

"Sorry," Haley managed to say under muffled tears.

"Hey, are you okay? Wait, you're in my European History class right? Haley James, the tutor girl. What's wrong tutor-girl?" Now Brooke felt bad for the girl that she had just yelled at for running into her.

"Nothing, it's just… Okay, you know Nathan Scott, right? For almost years, I've heard stories from girls in my classes about how he played them, or how he used them, or how he broke their hearts. And now, I start tutoring him, and bam, a month later, he's suddenly changed! And it seems like he really has: we're able to talk for hours, and he's so sweet and kind to me, that I don't know what to do! I get goose bumps when I'm near him, and when he tells me he likes my hair or the way I wore my makeup, it makes me blush." Haley took a breath and sighed. "I'm sorry to be dumping on you like this, I've never even formally introduced myself!"

"It's okay. I'm Brooke Davis," Brooke smiled and held out her hand to Haley.

Haley accepted the handshake. "Haley James, or as you so kindly dubbed me, tutor-girl." Haley smiled at the new nickname.

"Look, I hang out with Nathan on the weekends, and he has definitely changed since around the time you started tutoring him. He talks about school and college more often, and he hasn't driven drunk or hooked up with any girls."

"How do you know…"

"Trust me tutor-girl, I would know. I don't know what you said or did to Nathan to make him shape up, but he has become a completely different person since the beginning of the school year."

"That's great, but when he asked me out, I just…"

"Wait, Nathan Scott asked you out and you turned him down?"

"Yes. It's just I've, I've been hurt before and I'm so afraid to let him in. But he really is a great guy underneath all of his past mistakes. I don't know Brooke, what do you think I should do?" Haley felt a little ridiculous asking this of a complete stranger, but she felt okay with Brooke; something about the way she had dropped everything to talk to Haley made her feel better.

"You should do what your heart tells you tutor-girl. Look, I have practice right now, but we should hang out soon. See you around tutor-girl!" With that the bubbly brunette got up, and skipped off to the gym.

Haley stood up and started walking home. Nathan was a really sweet guy, and she liked him a lot. Obviously the feeling was mutual, but what if Nathan reverted back to his old ways, or if he played Haley like he had played all of those other girls. But he was serious when he had asked her out. Maybe Haley should give him a chance. Just as Haley was contemplating, she heard running behind her.

"Haley! Haley James, wait up! We need to talk!" It was Nathan. As soon as Haley had left, Nathan sat in the tutor center until he decided that he really liked this girl, and he wasn't going to treat her like just any girl.

"Nathan, I'm sorry. I just, I was so, I was surprised. I've heard stories about you for almost four years about how you lie and manipulate situations for your own benefit. I got scared. But I do," Haley took a deep breath before she continued, "I do have those same feelings for you. Over the past month, I have seen a change in you. I don't know where it came from, but I don't want you to change because of me or for me, I want you to change for you."

"Haley, all my life it's been about me: what I want, when I want it, who am I going to hurt so I can get ahead. But, your kindness has shown me that it's not all about me. It's about time it's not all about me, and you have shown me that. You make me want to be better for me. If that makes any sense." Nathan grinned a grin that Haley had become very familiar with over the past month.

"Look, I have the same feelings for you okay? When I'm tutoring you, I get goose bumps on the back of my neck. I smile when you ask me how my day was. I have all the same feelings Nathan. But I've been hurt before, and I don't want to be hurt again. If we go on a date, that doesn't mean anything. But I would like to go on a date. So, how about tomorrow night?" Haley looked up at the very taller Nathan and smiled as she looked into his brown eyes.

"Sure. I'm glad that you agreed to a date with me Haley James. I'll make it worth your while. Is 5:30 okay?"

"Yes. Now, would you please walk me the rest of the way home? It's getting dark, and I get scared easily." Haley made a pleading puppy-dog face.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh at Haley. "Sure, I would love to."

Nathan~Naley~Haley

It was Saturday afternoon, and Haley was getting ready for her date with Nathan. She had decided to take a chance with Brooke, and she had invited the cheerleader over to her house for a pre-date gab session. Haley found that she and Brooke actually clicked really well. She was glad that she had invited Brooke over.

"Okay, so this green one? Or the white one?" Haley was picking out what she was going to wear on her date, and she had it narrowed down to a green sleeveless v-neck and a pair of black heels or a simple linen white dress with matching sandals.

"Definitely the green one. Didn't you say that you had a shawl to go with it? Yeah, definitely the green one tutor-girl." Haley was so glad that she had Brooke with her. Haley may have been a girl, but she knew nothing about fashion. Though she had three older sisters, she was never one to ask for help or admit that she was wrong about fashion.

"Thanks Brooke. I really appreciate it. Okay, hair, makeup, outfit, now all I need to do is stop freaking out about my date!" Haley really was nervous about her date with Nathan. She was so different than all of his other 'girlfriends', and she wanted everything to be perfect. She really did have strong feelings for Nathan, and from what he had told her, Nathan had those same feelings.

"No problem Haley. I'm happy to help. Oh, and I hope this isn't that big of a deal, but I invited my best friend Peyton over here just so we could have girl time all together." Right on cue, Peyton Sawyer walked into Haley's bedroom at that very moment.

"Hey P. Sawyer! This is Haley. She's going out with Nathan for the first time tonight."

"I'm Haley James." Haley extended her hand to the curly blonde girl standing in her room.

"Peyton." Peyton returned the handshake. "Look, I've known Nathan for a really long time, and he's really changed over the past month or so. He must really like you."

"Thanks. All I did was tutor him." Haley actually felt her cheeks turn a little red at the comment.

The girls sat in Haley's room for the next ten minutes talking. Haley felt that she was going to be spending a lot more time with these girls.

All of a sudden, the girl talk was interrupted by a doorbell ring. "Oooh! Haley, that must be Nathan! We'll get out of your way. Good luck tutor-girl!" Brooke hugged her new friend and skipped out of the room with Peyton.

"It was nice to meet you Haley." Peyton waved and followed her friend.

Haley gathered her purse and shawl and slowly made her way downstairs. When she reached the landing of the stairs, she saw Nathan standing with her parents wearing a nice pair of khakis and a blue dress shirt. She smiled when she saw her date for the night. When Nathan saw Haley stop at the bottom of the stairs, he couldn't help but run his eyes up his date. His heart skipped a beat when she started to walk towards him.

"Hi Nathan. This is my Mom, Lydia, and my dad, Jimmy." Haley was proud to be showing off her date to her parents.

Nathan smiled to her parents. "I'll have her home by eleven Mr. and Mrs. James."

"Eleven thirty is okay Nathan. And it's Lydia and Jimmy to you." Jimmy smiled to his daughter's date.

"Okay, well, Mom, Dad, we should be going now. Love you!" Haley hugged her parents and walked out the door.

"Goodbye kids! Be safe!" Lydia waved to her daughter.

Once they reached the car, Nathan opened Haley's door for her. As soon as Haley closed her door, she told Nathan, "Sorry about my parents. They've always been a little odd, but I love them." Haley laughed when she thought about how silly both of her parents could be.

"That's okay. That's better than both of my parents." Nathan's dad was a grade-A jerk, and his mom had been acting a little off lately. "So, do you have any guesses as to where this date is?" Nathan grinned the grin that Haley had dubbed the Scott grin.

"Um, well, all I know is that you told me to dress nicely, so I'm thinking somewhere downtown?"

"Very good Haley James! See, look who's the student now. We're going to the Waterfront Grille. I hear they have really good mac n' cheese." Nathan couldn't help but laugh at Haley.

"Hey, macaroni and cheese is the food of the gods!" Haley laughed along with Nathan.

The two continued to talk until they reached the restaurant. Once again, Nathan opened Haley's door and helped her out of the car. They walked into the restaurant, and Nathan told the hostess, "Hi, I have reservations for a waterfront table for Scott at 6:00."

"Yes, your table is ready Mr. Scott." Haley watched as the young hostess sized up her date. But the whole time Nathan was looking at her.

"You got us reservations? You have to make them at least a week ahead of time. You didn't ask me out until yesterday."

"Yeah, but I had a feeling that you would say yes." Nathan smiled at Haley.

Once seated, the waitress came over to take the drink orders. "Hi, I'm Whitney, and I'll be serving you this evening. Can I get you guys started with drinks and appetizers?"

"Actually, we both know what we want. I'll have a diet Coke and the prime rib." Nathan looked at Haley.

"I would like the macaroni and cheese with extra cheese and water with lime. Thanks!" Haley smiled at Whitney and handed her the menu.

"Sure, I'll get those put in right away for you."

Once Whitney was out of earshot, Haley told Nathan, "She was totally checking you out!"

Nathan started laughing, "Yeah, but I came here with you. Besides, she's a fake blond and she looked way trashy. Her shirt was unbuttoned one too many buttons."

Haley couldn't help but smile at Nathan's comment. He had come with here with her, and he wasn't concerned about anyone but his date.

All through the meal, Nathan and Haley talked. It seemed that they could never run out of things to talk about. Nathan and Haley both felt their feelings for their date get stronger as the date went on. As soon as they were done, Nathan paid and told Haley, "Okay, now on to part two of the date. We're going somewhere that is a really big part of my life."

"Gee, let me guess: the school gym!" Haley laughed at Nathan.

"No, but somewhere close to that." About ten minutes later, Nathan pulled his car up to the River Court, the basketball court that overlooked the river that ran along the border of Tree Hill. "This is the River Court. When Lucas and I first started hanging out, this is where we would come to work out and practice. It's a really special place to me. I mean, the school gym is great, but this place, it feels magical when it's just me, the ball in my hand, and the hoop. No fans, no coaches, no teammates, just me and the hoop. That's when I feel most secure. That's when I feel where nothing can touch me or stop me. Where's your safe place?"

Haley was amazed at how deep Nathan could get. "Well, I would probably say my kitchen cooking with my Mom. We have always been really close, and all of my best memories with her are from the kitchen. It's where I told her about my first crush, where she told me it would be okay when I failed a math test one time, and where she and I have just always talked. I remember the first time she asked me to help her cook. I was in third grade, and she was making macaroni and cheese." Nathan smiled at that. "She asked me if I wanted to help her, and I was so excited. My older sisters were always asked, and it was a rite of passage for me. After that, every night I started helping her all the time. When I'm with her in that kitchen, I feel like nothing can touch us, that it's just her and me in our own world." Haley smiled when she thought all the time she had spent in her kitchen with her mom. "So are you going to teach me how to play basketball or what?" Haley got up off the picnic table they had situated themselves at and kicked off her heels.

"Well, Haley James, you are quite lucky that I always happen to carry a basketball with me!"

Nathan~Naley~Haley

For the next two hours, the two had played one-on-one. Nathan beat Haley really badly, but Haley had also learned a lot about basketball. But it was going on eleven o' clock, and Nathan didn't want Haley to miss her curfew. "Hey, Hales, we better get going. I don't want you to be late for curfew."

"Oh, okay." Haley thought it was so cute that Nathan was so concerned about what her parents thought about him.

Once inside the car, Haley said, "Nathan, thank you for tonight. I had a really good time." She looked over at Nathan and smiled at him.

"I'm glad you did. I had a really good time, too. Thank you for agreeing to go out with me." Nathan looked over at his smiling date and couldn't help notice the sparkle in her eyes.

Fifteen minutes later, Nathan's car pulled up into the James driveway. He got out of the car and ran over to open Haley's door. "Thank you Mr. Scott!" Haley playfully exclaimed.

"My pleasure Ms. James!" Nathan replied in an equally playful way. He took her hand and walked her up to the front door. "Well, I had a really great time tonight Haley. I hope we do it again."

"I did too Nathan. Thank you." As Haley started to turn to open her door, Nathan spun her back around and leaned down to kiss her. It was a soft, long kiss, and Haley felt the fireworks in her stomach as their lips met for the first time. After a minute or so, Haley parted her lips from Nathan's. "Well, I better get going. I'll see you Monday at school."

"You too Haley James." Nathan let go of Haley's small hand as she opened up her front door and quickly rushed through it.

Once the door was closed, Haley brought her fingers to her lips and couldn't help but let out a squeal. Her first date with Nathan was amazing, and she couldn't wait until they went on their next one.

Nathan couldn't help but smile at himself as he walked back to his car. He had gotten Haley James to go on a date with him, and he couldn't help but be excited for his next one.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

**So that's the chapter! Again, I love getting reviews and seeing that people are subscribing to my story, so please keep em' coming and keep reading! I hope to update again in the next couple of days, and I'll make it worth it!**


	4. Getting in Deeper

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Nathan and Haley had been going out together for two weeks. Their days started with them in European History together, and then continued at lunch, went on during their tutoring sessions, and ended with them going to Haley's house to do their homework together. One day, on the way back to Haley's house after tutoring, Nathan started a new conversation. "So, are we boyfriend and girlfriend?" Nathan looked over to Haley. She had her arms crossed, and Nathan didn't know if it was because she was thinking or because it was a brisk end-of-October afternoon.

"Nathan, if you're asking me to officially be your girlfriend, I would love to be your girlfriend if you'll have me." Haley looked up at her tall mate. The past two weeks had been the best of Haley's life. The two had gone out on two more official dates after the first one, and they had spent time together after school every day. Haley had even gotten to be better friends with Brooke, Peyton, Lucas, and Lucas and Nathan's friend from the basketball team, Jake. They all hung out on the weekends, and Haley had loved every minute of it. Nathan brought Haley out of her shell and Haley kept Nathan grounded. The two were falling for each other, even if they didn't know it.

"I wouldn't have it any other way Hales." Nathan had started using that as a nickname for her. "Now, you know about my past hook-ups, but are there any angry exes I should be concerned about?" Nathan didn't know how sore of a subject that was for Haley.

"Well, um…" Haley was hesitating to tell Nathan about her past. What if he saw her differently after she told him? What if he didn't want to be with her?

"What? You can tell me anything Hales. I won't ever judge you for what happened in the past." Nathan oozed concern for his new girlfriend, and he meant every word he said.

"It's just so embarrassing and hard for me to talk about." Haley was starting to tear up. She stopped to sit on a nearby bench. "You promise you won't judge me for the past?"

"You let me in after what I've done, the least I can do is return the favor," Nathan wrapped his arm around Haley.

Haley put her arms around Nathan's torso and she began her story, "Okay, well, it was freshmen year, and I was in the fall musical. I was in the chorus, and every day during practice this senior would talk to me. He was really nice, and I was a naïve freshmen. I was blinded by his sweet talk and his compliments. He brought me little trinkets and gifts every once in a while, and I started to get really into him. One night, after the musical, there was a cast party. My parents let me go; and I was so excited to be going to my first party. When I got there, he was there with his friends. He got me a drink right away, and the night was really great." Haley started crying and she wiped her eyes before going on. "I started feeling dizzy, so he said he would take me to a room until he would drive me home. He led me to this room, and, and…."

"Haley, you can stop. It's okay." Nathan held her tighter.

"No, no, it's okay. I have to tell you." Haley wiped her eyes again before continuing. "He led me to this room, and he pulled back the covers. I slid into the bed, and all of a sudden, I had this rag stuffed into my mouth. He started taking his clothes off, and before I knew it, he had taken my jeans off. He and one of his friends raped me. I couldn't do anything but sit there and take it. I couldn't scream, and I was too hazed to fight back. They left me there afterwards, and I had to call my sister to come pick me up." Haley fought back more tears. "I didn't want to go to school, but I had to."

"Haley, it's okay, you can…"

"No, I'm almost done. I found out I was pregnant, but I went to a clinic to get an abortion. It killed me, but I was just this freshman in high school who was just raped. I told my parents, and they told the police what happened. The only thing that came of it was that the boy and his friend were expelled from school and I never saw them again. I never told my Mom about the baby though. You're the first person I've ever told that to."

"Haley, that's terrible. I never would have thought that something like that happened to you. You are so strong, you know that?" Nathan turned his head and kissed Haley's forehead.

"That's the moment I decided to throw myself back into life. I would show him, I thought. I started volunteering, and I got a job at the Tutor Center. I haven't had a real boyfriend until you." Haley wiped the remaining tears off of her face.

"Well, I'm honored to be your first. I will never, ever hurt you like that."

"Thanks Nathan. That means a lot to me." She smiled up at her boyfriend. He looked back at her, thinking how beautiful she was even with her eyes puffed up from crying. "I just hated keeping it from you, but I needed to know you are serious about this relationship before letting you in."

"I understand. There are lots of reasons why you didn't need to open up to me. In the past, I've been a jerk, but I've really been trying to better myself. You know, your past has really taught me how lucky I've been and how I haven't really been taking advantage of my potential. Thank you Haley James." He smiled, and then leaned down to kiss his girlfriend's forehead. He would never let anything happen to her.

The couple decided to sit on the bench and watch the October sun set. After, they walked back to Haley's house to do homework. But their usual routine was interrupted by a heated debate in the next room.

"Jim, she's twenty one for God's sake! We can't keep bailing her out like this!" Lydia yelled at her husband.

"They're talking about my sister Taylor. She's probably one of the most messed up twenty one year olds I've ever known." Haley glanced behind her shoulder to make sure her parents wouldn't walk in before continuing, "She's been kicked out of three colleges, and she's been to jail twice."

"Wow, that's rough."

"No, that's Taylor. She doesn't give a care in the world. She never thinks before she does anything."

Haley's parents walked into the kitchen at that moment. "Well, it seems Taylor is going to come home. She's decided to try and find a job around here instead of finding yet another junior college to attend," Lydia explained to Haley and Nathan. "She's going to be here in an hour."

"What? Mom, she cannot live here! She needs to learn a little bit of responsibility." To say the least, Haley was definitely pissed off that her parents had made this decision without telling her. When they were younger, Haley and Taylor had gotten along fine, but as they got older, Taylor was always getting in trouble and making their parents' lives much harder. Haley always felt bad for her parents, who had raised Haley and her five siblings so well, and Taylor just threw in their faces by being so selfish all of the time.

"Haley Bob," Haley's father used the family nickname for the baby of the family, "Taylor is family, no matter what she does, she will always be our daughter, and your sister. We have to take her in. Besides, it'll only be a week, two at the most."

"Dad, that's all it takes, is one week to mess up everything! Remember last Thanksgiving? She was here for three days, and in those three days, she managed to get Quinn and her boyfriend to hate each other! I remember the two weeks it took for them to get the story straight all because of what Taylor did." Haley remembered how devastated Quinn had been when Taylor told her that her boyfriend had kissed her, and then how Taylor had also let it slip to Quinn's boyfriend that Quinn had rekindled an old high school flame.

"Haley, she's staying here, and that's it," Haley's father yelled and walked out of the kitchen.

"Mom! You can't let Taylor do this! She's going to mess up everything; she always does. You have a say too, you know!" Haley didn't understand why her mom didn't take a stand.

"Haley, you have to make compromises when you love someone. Okay, your father has compromised a lot so I could have my design business; the least I can do is let our daughter stay for a week. I mean really, what kind of damage can it do?"

Haley had heard enough; she got up and walked out of the kitchen into the backyard. "I'll go," Nathan offered. He walked out of the door in the kitchen, and he found an upset Haley sitting on a swing in the backyard. "Hales? Are you okay?"

"Nathan, does it seem like I'm okay? You know, my sister is such a selfish bitch." Nathan looked at Haley, shocked at her sudden language. "Sorry, but she is. You know, when I was raped, she didn't believe me. I finally had the guts to tell my family, and she didn't believe me. She put on this sympathetic face for my parents, and then later, she walked into the bathroom after I showered, and she said I deserved it. She told me that it was the hangover talking. That day was the day I started hating Taylor. I mean, what kind of sister says that to their baby sister. A freshman in high school no less!"

"Hales, you know you can stay with me while your sister is in town," Nathan stated. He knew that they had only been dating for a few weeks, but he really liked Haley. He was willing to let her all the way in.

"No, she's family. I have to deal with her, even if I don't want to. But thanks for offering." Haley looked at her boyfriend, smiled, and then they both leaned in for a kiss. It was short and sweet, and Haley loved the feeling of having a boyfriend. She knew she could trust him with her heart. After their lips parted, they headed back inside to finish their homework.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

That Friday, Nathan and Haley and Lucas and Brooke, who had started developing their own relationship, all went on a double date. Haley and Brooke were getting ready at Brooke's place. "Hey Hales, do you like Nathan?" Brooke asked from out of the blue.

"Yeah. What makes you ask that?" Haley was a little confused.

"I'm just wondering. You know, before he was a Raven, I never had any interest in Lucas. It's crazy what basketball has done for us. It's brought us to our boyfriends. If Lucas hadn't joined the team, we wouldn't be together, and if Nathan wasn't a jock, he wouldn't need tutoring, which means you two wouldn't be together," Brooke explained.

"I mean, of course I'm glad Nathan and I are together, but before I started tutoring him, I wouldn't have given him the time of day. He was a jerk," Haley found it hard to remember all that short time ago when she had never even talked to Nathan Scott.

"What made you give him a chance?"

"I guess it was this one day during tutoring, he had picked up on my macaroni and cheese habit. He decided that instead of letting me eat my just add water stuff, he would have Lucas get some real mac n' cheese from Karen's Café. He was really sweet, and we started walking home after that. The day he asked me out was the same day I met you. Ever since, we've been together." Haley thought back to when Nathan was just another high school jock who was a class-A jerk. Now, he was her boyfriend. She felt safe when she was with him, and that she could trust him with all of her heart. They had only been dating for about a month and two weeks, but Haley really liked Nathan.

"Awww, Tutor-Girl, that is so adorable!" Brooke exclaimed. She and Lucas had only been dating for about three weeks, but she could tell he was special. She felt a connection to Haley when it came to their boyfriends.

At that same time, Nathan was driving Lucas to Haley's house in his SUV to pick up the girls. "Hey Nathan, I'm really glad that you've gotten your act together. I know how important Duke is to you, and I'm glad that not only have you been doing better in school, but that you found Haley."

"Thanks man. I'm happy I found Haley too. I think I'm going to ask her to come to Duke with me." Nathan thought about all of the good times that he and Haley could have at Duke. She would be his girl, cheering in the stands for him, going to team events with him, wearing his Blue Devils t-shirt.

"Nate, watch out!" All of a sudden, a car ran a red light, and crashed into the driver's side of Nathan's car. All Nathan saw was the large pick-up driving towards his car at an alarming speed.

**Hey everyone! Don't worry, I'll probably update in the next few days, I won't leave you hanging The next chapter is going to be part Nathan before he wakes up and part what's happening on the outside world. Now, for individual reviewers,**

**Journey17, thank you for reviewing, and I think I'm going to add more Scott brother interaction in the coming chapters. There will also be more Haley/Lucas interaction.**

**LaffertyGirl85, I hope you're not disappointed!**

**And everyone else, please read and review! And feel free to say whatever you want, I'm always open to constructive criticism. **


	5. Awaken to Love

**Hi everyone! Just a note before you start reading: in the last chapter, I said in the past month since Nathan and Haley had been going out, but at this point they've only been going out for two weeks, and they have known each other for about a month and two weeks. For two weeks it was them walking to Haley's house together, and then they went on their first date, then two weeks later, they made it official. At this point, it is around their one month anniversary. And, this chapter will be part Nathan's point of view after the accident, and part what's going on in the outside world. Sorry for the long author's note! Other notes at the end!**

Nathan~Naley~Haley

_Beep-de-de-beep, beep-de-de-beep. _Haley's phone was ringing. "Hang on, Brooke, it's Lucas." Haley answered her phone, "Lucas, where are you guys? You're almost twenty minutes late."

"Haley, we were in an accident. Someone ran a red light, and… Nathan's in an ambulance on the way to the hospital." There was silence on Haley's end of the phone call. "Haley?"

"Luke, we're on our way." Haley hung up the phone, and turned to her friend. "Brooke, the boys were in an accident and Nathan's on the way to the hospital."

"Oh my gosh Tutor-Girl, let's go. I'll drive." Brooke grabbed her keys and she and Haley rushed out the door, still dressed up for their date. Within minutes, they were at the hospital. As they were walking in, Brooke asked, "Did Lucas say what happened?"

"Just that someone ran a red light and that Nathan was in an ambulance on the way to the hospital." Haley had no idea what to do or where to go; she had never had to find someone in the hospital before. Thankfully, Lucas was in the front lobby awaiting their arrival.

"Lucas! What happened?" Haley ran up to her boyfriend's brother and immediately starting asking him questions. "Where's Nathan? What's wrong with him? Where is he?" Haley was on the verge of tears.

"Hales, you have to calm down. Okay, we were driving, and talking. It was not Nathan's fault, someone ran a red light, and they hit the driver's side of the car. He's in the ICU. They said he broke a few ribs and had a concussion. He also needed some stitches for a few big cuts, but there was nothing internally wrong. But they're still observing him and waiting for him to wake up."

"Okay, I'm going to find him." Haley was fighting tears.

"Okay, we'll give you some time Tutor-Girl," Brooke said as she hugged her friend.

"Thanks Brooke. I'll be back soon," Haley said as she walked towards the ICU. Once there, she found the desk that could point her out to where her boyfriend is. She walked up to the desk. "Hi, I'm Haley James…"

Before she could finish, the nurse running the desk told her, "Oh, you must be here for Taylor James. Here, follow me."

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Nathan knew he wasn't awake, but he wasn't sure if he was dead or just unconscious. He was at the River Court, where he had spent so many nights with his brother in the past two years. He saw someone sitting there, reading a book. Once he walked closer, he saw that it was his brother. "Lucas!" The figure who was in fact Lucas stood, turned around, and smiled at his little brother.

"Little brother. Glad to see that you made it."

"Man, where are we? What happened? Where's Haley?"

"All of this will be explained. You need to come with me." Lucas started walking towards the river. Nathan followed him, but he was about to walk right into the water.

"Lucas, wait!" Before he could he continue, he and Lucas were transported into the theater at school.

"Lucas, what's happening? I want to know where Haley is," Nathan was getting frustrated now. He wanted to know what was going on.

"I want to show you how special Haley is. She's afraid of getting hurt, and you need to see what happened. I don't know if you know how hard it is for her," Lucas explained.

"She told me what happened man. I don't need to see it." Nathan shuddered when he thought of what had happened to her.

"She didn't tell you everything. There's more to Haley than you know. Let's go."

Nathan followed Lucas into the backstage area. "Where are we going?"

Lucas pointed over to Haley, a young freshman, talking to a much older looking boy. He was playing with her hair, and she was blushing. "Hey, I know that guy. He was on the varsity basketball team. Wait, is that who?"

"Yep." Just as Lucas said that, Nathan saw Haley and the boy hug. The boy's hands started to move down Haley's back, but she moved them just before they reached her bottom. The boy rolled his eyes, then said goodbye.

"God, what a scumbag."

"Let's go Nate. More places to see."

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Wait, what? I'm here to see my boyfriend Nathan Scott," Haley explained to the nurse at the desk.

"So you're not related to Taylor James?" The nurse questioned.

"Well, yes, but I'm here for Nathan Scott. Why is Taylor here?"

"She hit the car Nathan and Lucas Scott were driving."

Haley wasn't sure she was hearing the nurse right. Taylor had crashed into Nathan? She couldn't believe that Taylor had been so irresponsible as to run a red light and jeopardize her and other's lives.

"Well, right now I'd just like to see Nathan Scott." She knew that Taylor had been in town for a few days, but unlike she had originally planned, she hadn't shown her face at the James house yet. Now, Haley didn't know if she even wanted to see Taylor now.

"Okay, follow me." Haley followed the nurse to a room where she saw Nathan hooked up to a bunch of tubes and machines that she couldn't even begin to fathom what they all were for.

"Oh, Nathan," Haley whispered as she walked over to the chair next to Nathan's bed. "I hate seeing you like this." Haley sat down, took Nathan's hand in hers and leaned her head against the bed. "Nathan, please wake up soon. I know the doctors said you will, but I don't want to wait any longer. During the past month and a half, I have had the best times of my life. So please, come back to me soon. I don't want to wait to keep being with you. So Nathan, hurry up. Please hurry up! I need you here babe. So wake up soon, because I don't want to have to do anything else without you next to me." Haley felt the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hales?" Lucas walked into the room. He walked over to the chair that Haley was sitting in, and he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Lucas, what am I going to do? Nathan has brought a new spirit out from within me. Before, it was me against the world. Now, Nathan's always by my side. Whether I'm with the world or against it, he's with me. Everything was perfect. I should've known that something was going to mess it all up." Haley tried to cover her tears, but Lucas noticed.

"Look, the doctors say everything is going to be okay. Don't worry Haley."

"But I do. What if he realizes that he shouldn't be wasting his time with me, and that he'd rather go back to his old ways? What if, he realizes that he made a mistake when he started dating me?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, Haley, Nathan really likes you. He's been such a better person since you started tutoring him. The Scott family may be messed up, but he's making himself a better person. You have nothing to worry about."

"Thanks Lucas." Haley stood up and hugged her newfound friend.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Lucas and Nathan walked out of the backstage area, and were suddenly at the cast party that Haley had told Nathan about. Nathan saw many people that he recognized from his almost four years at Tree Hill High. Then, he spotted Haley talking to the same guy she had been talking to before at the theater.

"Here, follow me." Nathan followed Lucas into the kitchen of the house. Once there, he saw the guy Haley was with get a drink for her. But then he saw something that disgusted him. The guy looked around him, took a small packet, opened it, and poured a white powder into Haley's drink. He swirled it around, then went back out to Haley and acted as if nothing happened.

"He did that? Lucas, why are you showing me this? I don't want to see this!" Nathan had no idea why Luke was showing him all this terrible stuff. It was heartbreaking enough to have to hear it from Haley, but now that he was going back and seeing it, that was even worse.

"Here follow me." Nathan walked with Lucas as the party went on in fast forward. They walked toward a room. Once they walked in, Nathan saw Haley lying there, except she wasn't alone. Her mouth was stuffed with a rag, and there was one guy on top of her and another standing next to the bed, laughing.

"I'm gonna kick their a…"

"Nathan, they can't see or hear you. But this is what Haley went through. She is scared to let you all the way in, and if you hurt her, she'll be crushed."

"Can we just get out of here? Please." Nathan had seen enough, and he wanted to go back to the real world, where Haley was by his side and could make all of the pain go away with her simple smile.

"Sure, there are a couple more things you need to see." Nathan and Lucas walked outside, where there was a twenty-something year old girl sitting in an old Honda Civic. Nathan turned around, and there was Haley, fresh tears on her face, walking towards the car.

"That's her sister Quinn. At first, Quinn was the only one Haley could trust." Nathan watched Haley get into the car and explode into sobs as she told her sister what happened. He watched as the older sister comforted the younger. She pulled Haley into a hug and let her sob on her shoulder.

"Lucas, what's your point? Haley already told me all of this. I didn't need to see all of this."

"Yes, you did. Because now, we're going to go see what'll happen to Haley if you break her heart." Lucas walked, and Nathan followed. In a split second, they were sitting in Haley's room at the James house. Haley was sitting on her bed, just staring out into space.

"Lucas, what's happening? Why isn't Haley doing anything?" Nathan knew Haley; she should at least be reading or writing, but not just sitting there.

"She's depressed. This is what happens if you revert to your old ways. She doesn't go to college; she drops out of high school, and ultimately just checks out of life."

"Lucas, please! I miss my girl. I, I, I love her! I want to go back. Just let me go back! I love Haley, and I need her!" Nathan screamed. All of a sudden, Nathan was brought back to the real world.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Lucas, Haley, and Brooke were all sitting around Nathan's bed, waiting for him to wake up. Haley looked up, and she saw Nathan's eyes open. "Nathan," Haley whispered to her boyfriend.

"Hales. I love you," Nathan whispered back.

"Oh Nathan, I love you too," Haley smiled as she reciprocated the feelings of love towards her boyfriend. She had been waiting for him to say that for a few days now, and she was happy that he had said it now. She needed him, and she was glad he had woken up.

"Welcome back little brother." Lucas said as he patted his half-brother's shoulder.

"Hi Nate. Thank you for gracing us with your presence," Brooke smiled as she hugged her friend. "Well, we'll leave you two to your own devices now," Brooke said as she pulled Lucas out of the room.

"Thanks guys. We'll see you later." As Lucas and Brooke walked out of the room, Nathan and Haley looked at each other and smiled. Though their relationship was young, they both were sure of the love they had for each other.

"So, the nurse told me who hit your car… It was my sister, Taylor," Haley explained.

"Oh, Hales, I'm sorry. I know that your relationship was rocky, but this must be so hard for you." Nathan felt so bad Haley; he may have had a messed up family, but the situation was getting more and more complicated with the James girls.

"Don't be sorry. I haven't seen her yet, but I don't know if I want to. How irresponsible are you to just rush through a four-way intersection like that?"

"I don't know, but Haley, she's your sister. You can't just cut her out. I tried that with Lucas. I tried to pretend that he didn't exist, but then I realized that the bonds of siblinghood are too great to just throw out." Nathan remembered a time when he and Lucas hated each other, but now they were best buddies.

"No, Nathan. Not right now. Is, is it okay if I stay with you for a while? Just until Taylor is out of town," Haley asked. Though she originally planned to stay at her house while her sister was in town, she just couldn't do it with the recent events.

"Haley, I would love it, but are you sure you just don't want to see your sister at all?"

"Nathan, no. I don't even want to think about her right now. I'm gonna go get some stuff from my house. I'll be back in a little bit. I love you, and I'm glad you're okay," Haley smiled at Nathan.

"Okay, I love you too, and I'll see you soon." Before Haley left, she leaned in for a kiss from her boyfriend. Their lips parted, and Haley walked out of the room.

Before Haley went to her house, she asked the new nurse sitting at the desk if she could see Taylor James. Once inside Taylor's room, Haley looked at her sister. She wasn't hooked up to as many machines as Nathan, but from what she could see, she had a broken arm and a few cuts and scrapes on her face and arms. Definitely not as bad as Nathan. She was sleeping, and Haley took the time to tell her sister how she felt.

"Taylor, you really messed things up this time. Even if you hadn't hit my boyfriend and his brother, I would still be upset that you were as irresponsible to run a red light, and at night no less. I just wanted to tell you that I'm done. I'm done putting up with your immature behavior and your stupid decisions. So, you have fun mooching off of Mom and Dad. I'll be out in the real world when you're ready to join us." With that, Haley walked out of the room and proceeded to call Brooke to pick her up and take her to her house.

**So there you have it, Chapter 5! I hope you enjoy, and remember, please please please review! I love reading them, and I actually took part of this chapter from a review suggestion:) **

**Pam211, thank you for your suggestion! Now that Nathan is awake, there'll be more Lucas/Nathan time and more Lucas/Nathan/Haley time.**

**Journey17, I hate Taylor too! In later chapters, there is going to be more Taylor/Haley interaction, but for now, it's going to be Nathan and Haley just focusing on moving forward.**

**Sara1287, thank you for reviewing every chapter!**

**Next chapter there will be a little more Scott family dynamic and Haley adjusting to living with Nathan. Please read and review!**


	6. A New Start

**Hi readers! So at this point, it's around the beginning of November. They've been dating for a month, known each other for two. Sorry for the delay in updating, but I've been busy busy! But now I'm on spring break, and I'll hopefully get out two chapters after this one. So please, read, review, and if I get a lot of reviews, that'll hopefully get me motivated to write faster: ) **

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Hales, are you sure you want to do this?" It was the night of Nathan's accident, and Haley was at her house gathering her things to go stay at Nathan's house for a while. The fact that Taylor had caused Nathan's accident just pushed her over the edge.

"Brooke, I've never been surer of anything. Now, I think I have everything. I told my parents where I'll be, I have all my necessities, I think I'm ready. Let's get out of here." Haley grabbed her bags and purse, and then turned looked back at her room. She had good memories in this room, but it was time to rid herself of the memories of Taylor. She hated to do it, but it was what Haley believed was best.

"Okay Tutor-Girl, let's roll," Brooke replied. Brooke hated seeing Haley in so much pain, and she wished she could understand, but she had no siblings. In fact, she didn't really have parents either. Her parents were always on some sort of business trip, and most of the time, Brooke was left to her own devices.

"Thanks Brooke," Haley smiled at her friend. She was glad to finally belong to a group, and the fact that it was Nathan's group made it all the better for Haley.

Suddenly, Haley's phone rang. It was Nathan. "Hey Nathan, how ya doin'?

"Okay. I've assured the doctor's that I'm fine, so they're going to let me go home tomorrow. Are you just gonna bring your stuff here?"

"I'm gonna keep it in Brooke's car tonight, and I think I'll just crash at her place tonight. Is that okay?" Haley was really excited about staying with Nathan.

"Yeah, of course. I don't even know how you'd get into my house, and even then, my parents are kind of a handful." Nathan was a little more than nervous about Haley getting introduced to his family; the Scott family history in itself should have been an indication of that.

"Okay, well, it's getting late, so I guess I'll just meet you at the hospital tomorrow. What time are they releasing you?"

"Around eight thirty."

"Okay then, I'll meet you around seven thirty and we can have breakfast together."

"Sounds good Hales. I'll see you in the morning. I love you," Nathan said.

"I love you Nate." Nathan smiled at his new nickname from Haley. People had called him that before, but hearing from Haley made it sound ten times better. The couple hung up their phones.

"OMG Tutor-Girl! You guys are so headed for aisle soon!" Brooke told her blushing friend.

"Brooke, we're not even eighteen yet. Besides, we haven't even talked about college yet. I have no idea where Nathan wants to go, and who knows if we even make it that long?" Though Haley had definite concerns about the future, she hoped that she and Nathan would make it through college. She really was falling for him, and she could see them in college together, walking around a campus together, hands intertwined, her wearing his sweatshirts, him getting her macaroni n' cheese for their late night study sessions.

"Well, I see the way he looks at you, and I'm pretty sure you guys'll make it, no matter what," Brooke said, reassuring her doubtful friend. With that said, Haley put the rest of her bags into Brooke's trunk and they drove away from the James house.

During this time, Lucas was with Nathan at the hospital. "So are you still going to ask Haley to go to Duke with you?" Lucas asked.

"I really want to, but Haley's so smart, I want her to be able to go where she wants. So instead, I think I'll just ask her where she wants to go. Who knows, maybe she wants to go to a school with a really awesome basketball program that's not Duke," Nathan replied. He had been dreaming about Duke all of his life, but he loved Haley. He wanted to do whatever made her happy.

"Well, just make sure it feels right for you too. I think Brooke wants to go somewhere in New York," Lucas said.

"You really like Brooke?" Nathan asked in reply.

"Yeah."

"Well, think of that, except ten times deeper. I really love Haley, and I want her to be able to jump at every opportunity possible." Nathan knew what kind of potential Haley had, and he wanted her to be able to reach that potential by doing what she loved. He didn't want to hold her back from anything.

"I understand Nate, but you've been working towards Duke for the past four years. I'm sure Haley will understand," Lucas said.

"I guess I'll talk to her tomorrow at breakfast before I'm discharged," Nathan replied. He would just have to wait and see.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

The next morning, Haley woke up at six thirty. Brooke, not being a morning person, waited until the last possible moment to wake up. It was seven fifteen before they finally made it out of the house. "Brooke?" Haley asked.

"What?" Brooke groaned back.

"What exactly are you wearing?" Brooke, who was usually in very stylish and put together, didn't have any makeup on, her hair was up in a messy bun, and she was wearing an old pair of sweatpants, a pair of ratty flip-flops, and a North Face fleece that Brooke had owned since her freshman year of high school.

"I'm just dropping you off at the hospital, right?" Brooke replied in a snarky tone.

"Yes, but…"

"Okay then. Let's just go so I can go back to bed."

The rest of the girls' ride to the hospital was silent, until they pulled into the hospital parking lot. Haley saw her parents walking into the main entrance. "Ugh, I should have known that they would be here," Haley said to no one in particular.

"Wait, those are your parents? Do you think Taylor is getting discharged too?" Brooke was suddenly in a perkier mood.

"I don't know, I didn't bother to ask the nurse. I just said what I needed to say to her and I got out of there." Haley had been thinking in the back of her mind what would happen if her parents were there, but she really didn't give it that much thought.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Brooke offered.

"No, it's okay. I'll be fine. Nathan and I are just gonna grab a quick breakfast, and then as soon as he signs the necessary paperwork, we're out of there."

"Okay, but at least let me help with your bags."

"Thanks Brooke," Haley said. She really was grateful that she had become such quick friends with Brooke and Peyton. It was nice to know that she a support system besides her parents, who after today would not really be seeing much of Haley.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later Tutor-Girl," Brooke smiled and then hugged her friend.

"Okay, bye Brooke." With that, Haley picked up her bags and started to walk into the hospital. Once inside the main lobby, Haley came face-to-face with her parents. Jim and Lydia saw their daughter, and they immediately walked up to their youngest child.

"Haley! Are you here for Taylor too? The nurses said that she could be discharged later today," Haley's mother explained.

"No Mom, I'm here because of Taylor. I'm here because Taylor ran a red light and hit my boyfriend's car. I'm here because Nathan is getting discharged today. Nathan was unconscious. I was scared that he wasn't going to make it. So, no Mom, I'm not here for Taylor. I'm here because Nathan is getting discharged soon, and I would like to go home with him and make sure he's okay," Haley said coldly to her parents.

"Haley, what are the bags for?" Jimmy asked.

"I'm going to stay with Nathan for a while. I don't think it would be best for me and Taylor to be under the same roof right now," Haley answered.

"But Haley," Lydia said.

"Mom, I'm really sorry, but I have to do this. This has nothing to do with my feelings for you or Dad, it's just what I have to do right now. I will still see you and talk to you, don't worry. Now, I have to go meet Nathan for breakfast," Haley explained.

"Haley Bob, you promise we'll still see you?" Lydia asked pleadingly.

"Of course Mom. I love you," Haley said, hugging both of her parents. "I'll see you guys later." Haley walked towards the elevators so she could go see Nathan.

Once inside his room, Haley was excited to see her boyfriend. "Hi Nathan, how're you feeling?" Haley asked him before she placed a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm good. Except, they won't let me out of the room until I'm discharged, so we're stuck in here with my one breakfast," Nathan said.

"It's okay. How about we just get breakfast after you're discharged? We can get real food instead of this hospital food?" Haley offered.

"Sure, that's actually better. I have to talk to you about something," Nathan said seriously.

"Oh, um, okay. You sound serious. Is everything okay? If you don't want me to stay with you, just say the word and I'm ou…."

"No, no Haley, it's nothing bad. I promise," Nathan laughed at Haley's over reaction.

"Oh, okay, good. I got a little worried there!" Haley was also able to laugh at herself.

"It's actually about college," Nathan took a deep breath before he continued. "All of my life, I've been working towards getting a basketball scholarship. A scholarship to, to Duke. Before I met you, I didn't really care who was there with me, I just always wanted Duke. But now that I have you, I really want you with me. What I'm asking is, will you go with me to Duke if I get a scholarship there?"

Haley looked at her boyfriend with an emotionless face. She didn't know what to think. She had been thinking about Stanford for the past year, but Duke was also a really great school. But what if her and Nathan weren't even together come time for them to go to college. Or what if Nathan got a basketball scholarship somewhere other than Duke or Stanford? There were so many things rushing through her head that Haley forgot to reply to her boyfriend.

"Hales?"

Haley was brought out of her trance. "What, oh, sorry Nathan. Um, well, I've really been thinking about Stanford for the past couple of years. I never really thought about where you wanted to go."

"So are you saying no?" Nathan was confused. He had definitely not heard the yes he was hoping to hear.

"Well, I don't know. I never really thought about it. I mean, Nathan, we've been going out for a month. Four years is a long time to commit to a place."

"Haley, do you really think that we would break up?"

"I don't know Nathan, would we? Four years is such a long span of time. I mean, a year is such a long time! So many things could happen between now and the end of senior year even! I mean, what if, if, what if you didn't want me anymore?" Haley was now on the verge of the tears. "Nathan, I don't want to go to college with you if you aren't committed to this relationship. I would love to go wherever you go, but only if we're together."

"Hales, don't cry. I'm asking you this because I have every intention of being with you on graduation day. So that when they call my name, sitting there, cheering me on. When they call your name, I'll be there with the biggest, most pride-filled smile on my face. You'll wear my sweatshirts, and we'll walk to class together. We'll study together under a tree that'll become our spot. I want all of my college memories to happen with you."

"Nathan, I want all of that too, but what happens when a cheerleader for your basketball team starts flirting with you? Or when a girl at a party tries to make out with you? Huh, what happens then?"

"Well Hales, I'll point right at you in the bleachers, or I'll pull you into my arms, and I'll tell those girls this is my girl, Haley James."

"Nathan, can you promise me that?"

"With every fiber of my being, I'll love you, always and forever."

"Always and forever," Haley was starting to feel reassured by Nathan.

"I promise you that today, tomorrow, and the day after that Hales." Nathan leaned over to kiss Haley. When their lips parted, Haley smiled.

"Nathan, my answer is yes. Wherever you go, I will be there by your side, cheering you on," Haley finally replied to Nathan's question.

"Thanks Haley," Nathan kissed her again. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Nathan," Haley pulled her boyfriend into a hug. "More than you know," she whispered into his neck.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

After Nathan had been discharged, the couple went out to breakfast at the local diner near the hospital. They'd had a nice time, but now Nathan was really nervous. Since Lucas's truck was wrecked, Brooke had picked the couple up in her VW Bug. The two sat in the backseat while Brooke drove in the front.

"So, Nathan, are you nervous for Haley to meet your crazy parents?"

"Brooke, I'm sure that Nathan's parents are not that bad," Haley laughed off the comment.

"No, Hales, my parents are two pieces of work. My Mom is a closet alcoholic, and she has been in and out of rehab for the past couple of years. Right now she's okay, but I'm waiting for her to snap. She's a closet alcoholic because of my dad, the infamous Dan Scott. Nothing he does is for the good of others. Everything he says, everything he does, it's for his own gain. I don't really talk to him, but then again, he doesn't really come around much since he and my mom got a divorce last year. And when he is around, he's mostly criticizing me. Hopefully, today is not a day that he decides to come around," Nathan explained.

"Well, I'm sure at least your Mom and I will hit it off," Haley, with a glimmer of optimism in her voice, exclaimed.

"Yeah, if she's sober," Brooke muttered under her breath.

"Brooke! That's a terrible thing to say. I'm sure Nathan's mom is trying very hard to stay sober for her son," Haley said to her outspoken friend.

"Hales, one way you can get on her good side is by calling her Deb, not 'Nathan's Mom'. And never call her Mrs. Scott; she changed her name back to Lee after the divorce. Make sure that if you ever do call her by her last name, call her Ms. Lee, not Mrs. Scott," Nathan said.

"Okie-doke."

"Here we are Tutor-Girl. Have fun!" Brooke wished to her friend.

"Thanks Brooke. I'll see you later," Haley said as she took her bags out of the trunk.

Nathan led Haley up the front walkway, but Haley was a couple of steps behind him as she marveled at the huge Scott residence. Haley had a nice house, but it was definitely not as lavish and massive as Nathan's. "What are you looking at Hales?" Nathan questioned his stunned girlfriend.

"It's just, I've never seen such a gorgeous house," Haley breathed out in a barely understandable whisper.

"It's just a house. Now, come on, my Mom's around here somewhere," Nathan said as he opened the front door.

Haley followed him in, and she was immediately greeted with a warm smile from an average height, older, blonde woman. She definitely did not remind Haley of her mother, but then again, Deb Lee had had only one son and had been married to a very rich man. "Hi, you must Haley James. My son has told me a lot of things about you. I'm Deb Lee, but call me Deb," Deb offered as she opened her arms for a hug.

"It's nice to meet you Deb. It's so kind of you to let me stay here. I'm just sorry we're meeting under these circumstances," Haley sweetly replied.

"It's my pleasure Haley. If everything Nathan has told me is true, I'm sure we won't have a problem." Haley was so glad to hear these sweet things from her boyfriend's mother. She seemed to be way more supportive of the relationship than her own mother.

"Well, Mom, I think I'll go show Haley to her room now. We'll see you later," Nathan said.

"It was nice to meet you Deb," Haley smiled as she turned to walk up the stairs.

Nathan led Haley to a large guest bedroom with an adjoining bathroom. It was so much bigger than Haley's bedroom at her home. Haley would also have to get used to the fact that she would have her own bathroom; she wouldn't have to share it with her parents or five other kids. "Wow, this is really nice," Haley said.

"Yeah, I guess. It's just always been our guest room."

"Well, with six kids, we didn't have a guest room!" Haley exclaimed.

"This isn't our guest room anymore Haley James. This is your room, for as long as you need. Welcome home Hales." Nathan pulled Haley up in his arms and kissed her. Before long, the couple's tongues had become intertwined, and Haley felt like things could not be any better than they were at that moment.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

**So there we have it! Please review! It really made me sad that I didn't get any reviews on my last chapter: ( So, leave your comments and suggestions and feelings, etc. Enjoy!**


	7. Rules of Trust

**Here's another chapter! Please read and review! I'm always up for suggestions, too!**

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Haley! Nathan! Could you two come down here?" Deb called. Haley and Nathan were pulled out of the kiss they were sharing.

"Ugh, do we really have to leave?" Nathan whispered.

"Nathan, she's your mom. Come on now," Haley laughed as she pulled Nathan out of the bedroom and out to the hallway.

Once downstairs, Nathan and Haley saw two glasses of milk and a plate of hot chocolate chip cookies sitting on the breakfast bar. "My mom only bakes chocolate chip cookies when she's about to tell me something really serious," Nathan whispered into Haley's ear.

"Nathan, I'm sure it's not that bad," Haley replied before they entered the room. "Hi Deb. We were just um, putting my stuff away."

"I'm sure that's exactly what you're doing. I just wanted to tell you guys that with the new arrangement, comes a few new rules."

"Mom!" Nathan exclaimed.

"Nathan, I'm serious. If you don't want to follow these rules, then you and Haley are more than welcome to leave. But seeing as how you don't have a job, I don't think that you would want that. Now, these rules are not that severe. First, Haley, you have your own room, and Nathan, you have your own room. Is that understood?"

The two teens looked at each other and nodded. "Good. Second, curfew is midnight. If you guys are going to be staying anywhere, I need a call, from both of you, telling me where you guys will be staying and what time you'll be back in the morning. I think that's it. Now, that wasn't too bad, was it?"

"No Deb, I think those are more than fair," Haley said to her host. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here."

"It's my pleasure. Now, you guys take these cookies upstairs and go finish 'putting Haley's stuff away'," Deb smiled.

"Mom, that's what we were doing," Nathan laughed and shook his head at his doubting mother. He grabbed the cookies and followed his girlfriend up to her room.

Once upstairs, Nathan found Haley putting her stuff away. "So, are we really going to put your stuff away, or are we going to finish making out?" Nathan asked with the Scott grin on his face.

"Well, I told Brooke that we would go out with her and Lucas tonight, seeing as how we never got to celebrate our one-month anniversary last night. I would like to get all my stuff in a place and not have to live out of bags. But, I promise that I will make our date tonight worth your while." Haley kissed Nathan, but then went back to packing right away.

"Hey, now that's not fair," Nathan said.

"I told you, I'll make our date worth your while," Haley smiled as she put some dresses away.

"Wear the green one that you wore on our first date," Nathan said.

"We're not going anywhere fancy. Just to the little waterfront grille and then we'll probably head over to the River Court," Haley explained.

"Okay, well then, just make sure to wear something green. That's my favorite color on you," Nathan replied.

Haley nodded; taking note of a color she would definitely start wearing more often. Of course, baby blue would always be her favorite color: it was Nathan's eye color, and it was the color of the shirt Nathan was wearing on their first date.

"I'll see you later for our date then Haley James," Nathan flashed the Scott grin again.

"Okay, pick me up at six thirty Nathan Scott," Haley smiled.

With that Nathan walked out of Haley's bedroom and left her to finish unpacking.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

It was about five o' clock, and Haley had just finished showering before she got ready for her and Nathan's date. She walked out into her room when she heard a knock on her door. "It's me Deb."

"Come on in," Haley said.

"Haley, I just wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, Deb, if this about the whole room thing, you don't have to worry. Nathan and I haven't talked about that yet."

"No, Haley. I just wanted to thank you. Before this year, after Dan and I got divorced, Nathan was so self-destructive. I mean, he was a good basketball player, but he also went to parties all the time and was always going from one girl to the next. He didn't care about school or his family. But then, once you started tutoring him, he came home on time, and his grades overall started improving. He spent more time with me, and his relationship with Lucas got so much better. So, thank you Haley, for helping my son. The way he talks about you, I know he really loves you."

"Thanks Deb." The two hugged, but once Deb left the room, Haley's entire demeanor changed. She had known about Nathan's past with girls; she had listened to girls talk about his various hook-ups throughout the past three years at Tree Hill High. But hearing it from his mom made it seem all the more real. How much did she really know about Nathan's past anyways? But she continued to get ready for her date.

At six thirty, as promised, Nathan showed at Haley's door, knocking on the door. "Hello Haley James, I'm here for our date."

"Nathan, who have you slept with?" Haley asked. She didn't know where it came from, it just came out.

"What?" Now Nathan was the confused one. He hadn't expected something so forward out of his usually modest girlfriend.

"It's just… Okay, your Mom was in here earlier, talking about how you used to be before you met me. She said something about how you always were going from one girl to the next, and I just need to know, who are all of these girls who have slept with my boyfriend."

"Well, first of all, I don't know why my Mom would tell you that, and second, why does it matter?"

"Why does it matter? Nathan, it matters because I'm your girlfriend, and I want to know your exes are. I want to know who all of these girls are. I've heard so many things in the past three years, what I am supposed to believe?" Now Haley was angry. If Nathan loved her so much, why wouldn't he just tell her?

"Hales, there's no need to get angry. What happened in the past shouldn't matter," Nathan tried to calm Haley down.

"Well, to me it does! I don't understand why you just won't tell me. I told you, now it's your turn to tell me. And we're not going on our date until I get an honest answer." Haley was being serious. She had asked, and she was not going to back down until she got her answer.

"Well, then I guess we're not going on our date, because I don't think it's any of your business," Nathan said nonchalantly.

"Fine, get out. You can come back when you're ready to give me an answer," Haley shut the door in Nathan's face. As soon as she turned around, she slid down the door and started to cry. Why was she letting what Deb had said effect her so much? It wasn't like Nathan was with any of those girls now. He loved her, and she loved him back. Haley had to call Brooke.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Tutor-Girl! What happened? I thought we were doubling tonight," Brooke exclaimed when she burst into Haley's room.

"Yeah, well, that was before Nathan and I had a fight about his past encounters," Haley said with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, Haley. What does any of that matter now?" Brooke said.

"I know, I know, but his mom said something to me about how before he met me how he would go from girl to girl, and I just needed to know, okay?"

"But Hales, do you see the way that boy looks at you? I don't think of any of those girls matter to him," Brooke tried to explain to her friend.

"I know, but, it was just so unsettling the way she said it. It made it seem like he'd slept with the entire female population of Tree Hill High! And then I got mad that he didn't want to tell me, and I shut the door in his face. I don't know why I did it Brooke. I just got so mad that he was so unwilling to share his past, especially when I shared what happened to…" Haley stopped suddenly. She knew she had just opened up the door for more questions from Brooke.

"What did you share?" Brooke didn't mean to pry, but now she was interested in Haley's past.

Haley took a deep breath and told her tale. Once she was finished, Brook was almost in tears. "Haley, that's terrible! And Nathan knows this?" Haley nodded. "Oh, that boy makes me so mad sometimes! It's only reasonable that you want to know what his past is."

"Yeah, but Brooke, now that I think about it, I was kind of in the wrong. I mean, I didn't have to shut the door in his face," Haley said. "And you know what, he does love me, and I love him too. I just want to be confident that I can trust him and that his heart is in the right place."

"Hold on Haley, I'll be right back."

Brooke walked into Nathan's room. "Nathan, are you insane! She asks a simple question, and you couldn't just give her a damn answer!"

"What, Brooke, what are you talking about?" Nathan couldn't believe that Haley had sent Brooke in here to do her dirty work.

"She asked you about her past, and you couldn't give her a straight answer. She told me what happened, Nathan. She's just insecure. She's scared. Can't you cut her a little slack?"

Haley heard yelling coming from Nathan's room. She ran into his room, where she saw her equally short-statured friend standing on her tip toes yelling at Nathan. "Brooke, what are you doing? Nathan, I am so sorry, I did not put her up to this," Haley said calmly.

"I'm just trying to put him in his place, Haley," Brooke said matter of a factly.

"Brooke, you don't need to do that. Can you please leave me and Nathan alone for a minute?" Haley asked. Brooke slowly slinked out of the room and closed the door. "Nathan, look, I'm sorry about earlier. It's just, what your Mom said, and what I've heard, I just get worried."

"About what?"

"That maybe I'm not good enough. Not popular enough, not pretty enough, not rich enough, not cool enough," Haley explained.

"Haley, I love you, no matter how popular, pretty, rich, or cool you are. And besides, in my book, I think you're pretty cool," Nathan flashed the Scott grin.

"Ugh, that grin you have melts my heart every time." Haley smiled.

"Thanks, but I'm sorry too. It's just; sometimes my reputation is a little blown out of proportion. Yes, I have hooked up with a lot of girls. And by hooked up, I don't mean have sex. I have only sex with three girls."

"Do, do you mind telling me who those girls are?" Haley asked quietly.

"Peyton is one of them, then freshmen year this sophomore Natalie Walsh, and Brooke," Nathan said.

"Brooke, really? She has been not telling me things," Haley laughed at her crazy friend.

"Yes, Brooke. It was sophomore year, and we were drunk out of our minds. I don't even remember whose party it was. I just remember me and Brooke walking up to a bedroom on the first Saturday of sophomore year."

"Well, thank you for telling me. I love you and trust you Nathan, and I don't want there to be any secrets between us. Don't feel like you need to hide anything from me. Love isn't about loving the good things in a person, it's about accepting the past and the bad things about a person," Haley said as she pulled Nathan into a hug.

"I love you too Hales. No more secrets, I promise," Nathan kissed Haley's forehead.

"Well, then, I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay, go ahead babe," Nathan said.

"Well, we've been going out for a month now, and I know that we're both not virgins, but before, well, you know, I wanted to wait until I was married to have sex. I want it to be special, and I know that you've had girlfriends before, but I just didn't know if you had other feelings about the subject," Haley explained.

"Well, I've told you before that our first time will be special. And I will wait until you are ready. I don't want to pressure you, or make you feel pressured. Whenever you're ready, I'll be ready."

"Thank you Nathan. That means a lot to me," Haley was relieved. She was so worried about not being good enough for Nathan, and here he was, assuring her that she was all he needed.

"Now, do you still want to go out to dinner?" Haley asked. Nathan smiled, and the two walked downstairs to go out and celebrate their one-month anniversary.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

That Monday was basketball tryouts, and Haley had decided to try out for the cheerleading squad. "Babe, no offense, but you're not exactly the most coordinated person," Nathan told his girlfriend while sitting at lunch.

"Nathan, come on! Haley's only doing this because she wants to be able to see you every day after school," Peyton poked fun at Haley.

"Peyton, that is so not true! Brooke talked me into it, and you know, maybe it'll be good for me to spend some time outside the tutor center," Haley explained. Jake, Lucas, and Nathan just laughed.

"And, it'll give us girls more time to spend together!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Yeah, like you guys need any more of that," Jake muttered. He had a point. Even though Saturday was date night, Haley had spent her entire Sunday afternoon watching movies with Peyton and Brooke. Nathan liked it that Haley was fitting in with his friends, but he also found it funny that sometimes she wanted to spend more time with Brooke and Peyton than with him.

"You'll all be sorry when you see that Haley will be a wonderful addition to the cheer squad," Brooke told all of her doubting friends.

Later that afternoon, the new cheer squad was standing in the gym, and the varsity basketball team was starting practice with Whitey. "Okay girls, you are my squad for the season. I'm really excited, and I think that this is going to be a great squad. To be sure that we will do our best in the Shine On Cheer Competition in January, Whitey got me in touch with one of the former cheer captains. She is going to be our coach for the season. Please welcome our new coach!"

Haley turned around, and she saw her sister Taylor walk into the gym.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

**There we go. A little bit of a twist for you guys! I told you Taylor would be back. But don't worry, everything will work out. Also, after tonight's episode of OTH, I'm going to be starting a Brulian fanfiction, so stay posted for that**.


	8. Bonds of Sisterhood

**Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying this story, and if you are, please please please review! There's definitely more Taylor in this chapter, so sorry for those of you who don't like her, but it all works out in the end.**

**Also, a disclaimer since I didn't put one in previous chapters! I do not own any of the original OTH people or places.**

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Brooke!" Haley whispered to her new cheer captain. She led her aside. "Brooke, I cannot believe that Taylor is our coach!"

"What? I can't help it that she never told me her full name! She always signed her emails Tay J, I had no idea that that was your Taylor!" Brooke loudly whispered back.

"Well, it is! What are we going to do? I have no interest in seeing her, but I want to be on the squad," Haley pondered out loud.

"Then you're just going to have to deal with it, because I already told her she could be the coach for the season," Brooke said as she walked away. Haley couldn't believe it. Brooke had unknowingly hired her terrible older sister as the cheer coach…for the entire season. Haley sighed and walked back to the group.

"Well well well, if it isn't my little sister, Haley James. I didn't ever think I'd see the day where my little sis was on the cheer squad," Taylor said with a fake grin plastered to her face the entire time.

"Well, if it isn't my irresponsible older sister slash drunk driver who runs red lights and hits her sister's boyfriend," Haley could come back just as mean.

"My little sister Haley who was so desperate for attention that she made up a lie about being attacked her freshmen year." Now Taylor had crossed the line. Haley, with anger and hurt in her eyes, walked over to her older sister.

"Take it back."

"Never."

"Taylor, you are so lucky that you have a broken arm right now, otherwise I would have no problem pummeling your ass to the ground right now," Haley said as she stood on her tip toes so she could see her sister eye-to-eye.

"Yeah, well, we'll see who's on the ground after I start coaching you guys," Taylor looked around at the group. "Looks like we got a large group of girls here, and I'm not talking about the amount of girls on the team. So, everybody here tomorrow morning for conditioning, six thirty sharp!"

"Um, if I could just interject, as captain, I don't really think that we need conditioning, we need to start our routine for…"

"Brooke, right? Yeah, well, I'm the coach now, and as coach, I have superiority over you, so you can just run off to the mall and get another velour sweat suit. Yours looks a little worn. See you ladies tomorrow!" Taylor walked away, and before she left the gym, she winked at Haley.

A chorus of "Brooke!" rang out from the cheerleading squad. There had never been conditioning before, let alone early morning conditioning. "Look, girls, nobody regrets this more than me. But I think, we should give it a chance, and if we can't get a good enough routine together in the next few weeks, then Taylor's out. Fair enough?"

All of the cheerleaders nodded their heads, but Haley still had her doubts. "Okay then, I'll see all of you girls tomorrow." The group of girls dispersed throughout the gym, waiting for their respective boyfriend to be done with basketball practice.

Once the boys walked out of the locker room, Nathan walked over to where Haley and Peyton were standing. "Hi Hales," Nathan said as he pulled her into a hug.

"Hey Nathan, looks like Haley's older sister is going to be cheer coach," Peyton explained before Haley was able to do so in a less kind fashion.

"Ugh, don't remind me Peyton," Haley rolled her eyes.

"Wait, Taylor or Quinn?" Nathan questioned.

"Taylor. She's having us do six thirty a.m. conditioning. Sorry babe, looks like you're gonna have to wake up even earlier than usual," Haley said.

"Brooke is already stressed. She left right after practice ended," Peyton said.

"Wow, didn't even wait for Lucas to come out. She must be freaking out right now," Nathan knew how much Brooke and Lucas couldn't keep their hands off of each other, and if Brooke didn't even wait to say hi to Lucas, he knew something was up.

"Well, we better get out of here. I'll see you in the morning Peyton," Haley sighed.

"Yep, bright and early!" Peyton faked a cheery voice.

Nathan and Haley walked out of the gym, but Haley slower than Nathan. "What's up babe?" Nathan asked.

"It's just, why does Taylor have to be coach? She couldn't find a job anywhere else? I wouldn't even care if she hadn't already gotten under my skin," Haley explained.

"What did she say?" Nathan questioned.

"She told the entire squad that I made up an attack freshmen year, and she didn't take it back. Then, when she left the gym, she turned around and winked at me. How old are we anyways? You know, I was just starting to think about letting her into my life, but now, I don't know," Haley shook her head at her dilemma.

"Well, take it from me, not having your siblings in your life sucks. Lucas and I are so close now, I don't how I did it all those years that I wasn't friends with him," Nathan looked at his girlfriend. "You have to work it out with her eventually, Hales. She's family, and I know what she did. Lucas has the car to prove it. But you have to let her back in, even if you can't forgive her."

"I suppose you're right. How'd you get so smart?" Haley smiled up at Nathan.

"I'm dating my tutor," Nathan leaned down to kiss Haley's hair.

"Yeah, I guess I'll have to cut back on tutoring sessions now that Queen Taylor is in charge of the squad," Haley said.

"Now now, you don't know how bad it's going to be." Nathan spoke too soon.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Nathan really did speak too soon. The next morning, Haley woke up at six o' clock, and was at school at six twenty five with Nathan. At six thirty sharp, Taylor walked into the gym, ready to drill the squad. For the first ten minutes, all the girls did was run. Afterwards, Brooke walked over to Haley and Peyton. "I'm… going…to…die!" Brooke breathed.

Haley couldn't agree more. She wasn't an active person, but she had always thought of herself as someone who could run if they had to. That was definitely not the case. "I know what you mean. I feel like someone punched me in the…chest," Haley took a deep breath. Right as the three friends were starting to catch their breath, Taylor started calling out drills.

"Twenty push-ups, then a minute of jumping jacks!" Taylor called out as the squad groaned. After that was done, it was five more minutes of lap running. Then the girls finally got a break.

Haley walked over to where Nathan was catching up on some English homework. "Looks like the roles have been reversed Nathan Scott. I never thought I'd see the day where you were actually doing homework in your spare time," Haley laughed as she caught her breath.

"Well, Haley James, I never thought I'd see the day where you were up early for conditioning." Nathan looked at his new cheerleader girlfriend: her messy bun was even messier than before, and her sweatshirt was now tied around her waist. Her shoes were untied, and her tank top had sweat all over, but Nathan still found his girlfriend to be the most beautiful person in the room.

"Yeah, well, you better get used to it, because I don't think Taylor's going to let up any time soon," Haley shook her head at the ridiculousness of her sister's demands.

"Girls, we still have ten minutes before we hit the showers. Let's go!" Taylor demanded. For the next ten minutes, the cheerleading squad did push-ups, squats, lunges, and what seemed like hundreds of jumping jacks. Afterwards, the girls couldn't get the energy to walk to the showers. But they did, and when they came out, they were wiped.

"That was the worst half hour of my life!" Peyton said.

"I don't know if I can do that every day, plus practice, plus schoolwork," Brooke complained.

"At least you guys aren't related to the coach," Haley groaned. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't Taylor doling out the drills.

"Well Hales, hopefully at practice she'll prove to be a bad coach and I'll be able to give her the boot," Brooke hopefully said through a yawn. Not only did Haley hate Taylor, but she would have to find a way to balance cheer practice and conditioning with school. It was only 7:15, and Haley, Brooke, and Peyton were already tired. They could only expect the worst to come at practice that night.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Practice was worse. All of the routines that Brooke had come up with as choreographer were shot down. In fact, it seemed that instead of Taylor being there to help Brooke run the team, that Taylor was the dictator of the squad. Afterwards, Brooke and Haley sat in the bleachers waiting for the boys to be done with basketball. "Tutor-Girl, I don't know about you, but I'm feeling muscles in my stomach and legs I never knew I had before," Brooke said with a sigh.

"Agreed. I don't know if I can stick this out Brooke." Haley was really contemplating quitting the squad.

"No! Haley, I know your sister is, well, a bitch, but you can't bail on us! We're a squad, and you cannot break the bonds of cheerleading," Brooke pouted at Haley.

"Brooke, don't give me the puppy dog face," Haley stated. Then she thought about it. There were many things that outweighed the fact that Taylor was cheer coach: it was a way for her to be near Nathan after school now that basketball started, it gave her time to spend with her girlfriends, and it was the first after-school activity that she had done since freshmen year besides tutoring. "Fine, Brooke, I won't quit, but if Taylor doesn't get any better by the first game, she has to go," Haley raised her eyebrows at Brooke.

"Okay, I promise. Thanks Tutor-Girl!" Brooke hugged her friend.

"What are we hugging for Pretty Girl?" Lucas walked over to the girls.

"Haley isn't quitting the squad!" Brooke squealed.

"Hales, you weren't really going to quit, were you?" Nathan asked as he walked up to the group. "It's only the first day."

"I was thinking about it, but then how could I leave Brooke all alone to deal with Taylor by herself," Haley smiled at her friend. Haley also knew that deep down, she wanted to start over with her sister and become friends again.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

A couple of weeks passed, and practice was becoming more bearable as Haley got in better shape. Haley and Brooke too, were just glad that it was Thanksgiving break, and that Taylor was giving them a break for a few days. "So Hales, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?" Brooke asked before they left the gym for Thanksgiving break.

"Well, Deb is inviting Lucas and his Mom Karen over to Nathan's place for dinner, then on Friday we're going to get up early and hit some Black Friday sales," Haley explained.

"Why would anyone get up for Black Friday?" Brooke asked.

"Oh, it was just something my parents always did with us kids when we were little, and Nathan doesn't want me to miss out, so I'm dragging him out with me," Haley replied. She remembered all the good times she had had with her family during the holidays. Her parents would always give the kids $20, and whoever was able to get the most stuff during the sale with their money got first dibs on the leftover Thanksgiving dinner. Haley remembered how one year, she found pens on sale for five cents. She counted out the proper amount and ended up being able to eat all of the leftovers from her mom's stuffing and strawberry cheesecake. She was sad that this year, she wouldn't be able to do that.

"Aw, that's so cute. Especially since Nate's coming with you," Brooke offered.

"Yeah, I told him he didn't have to come, but he insisted. What are you going to do?" Haley asked. She knew that Brooke's parents were often on business trips and weren't really there for their daughter.

"Chinese food and an _America's Next Top Model _marathon," Brooke stated.

"Well," Haley started. She didn't want to see her friend alone on Thanksgiving. "I would have to ask Deb, but would you like to spend Thanksgiving with us?"

"Tutor-Girl, I would love to! Especially since Lucas is going to be there," Brooke replied eagerly.

"What's Peyton doing?" Haley asked.

"She is spending the day over at Jake's house with his family. Her dad's still out on a mission," Brooke explained.

"Ah I see. Well then, I'll see you Thursday Brookie!"

"See ya Tutor-Girl!"

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Thanksgiving was finally here, and Haley was so excited. The Scott house was full of wonderful smells as Deb and Karen cooked the Thanksgiving meal. While he was getting ready, Nathan heard a knock on his door. "Come on in Hales," he said.

Haley walked in. "How'd you know it was me and not an ax-murderer?"

"Because I know your knock babe," Nathan smiled at his girl.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you something," Haley said seriously.

"Oh, okay, what's up?"

"Okay. My Dad called me earlier. He said that my Mom was crying last night because her baby wouldn't be at Thanksgiving dinner," Haley explained.

"So do you…"

"Let me finish," Haley raised her hand to Nathan. "My Mom was crying, and my Dad said that while Taylor was going to be there tonight, it would really mean a lot to him and my Mom if I made an appearance. I don't have to be there for dinner or anything; they just want to see me. So I asked them if it would be okay if you came with me, and he said that was fine. So we're going over there after dinner here."

"That's fine with me. Are you ready to go over there? I know you haven't really talked to them at all since the hospital."

"I think I'll be okay. It wasn't them I was mad at, and I know it seemed like that, but I wasn't. I was just upset with Taylor, and that was hashed out at them. I really do want to start over with her, Taylor I mean. She is my sister, and before I wasn't ready to forgive her, but now I think I am," Haley smiled a little.

"I'm happy for that Hales. I want you to be happy, and if you starting over with your sister is going to make that happen, then I'll be there to support you," Nathan explained. He pulled Haley into a hug. "I'm so happy we're together Haley James."

"I'm so happy I'm here with you, today, Nathan Scott," Haley whispered. She looked up, and as soon as their eyes met, there was no stopping their lips from coming together. Nathan slowly slipped his tongue into Haley's mouth, and Haley slipped hers into Nathan's. They continued to make out, and Nathan pulled Haley onto his bed.

"Tutor-Girl!" Nathan and Haley immediately pulled away from each other. Haley stood up, and Nathan sat up. Brooke opened up the door. "Oops, sorry about that. I'll go," Brooke said and closed the door as fast as she had opened it.

"Sorry," Haley mouthed to Nathan as she walked out of the room. "Brooke," Haley chased after her best friend. "That was not what it looked like."

"It's okay Tutor-Girl, I'm not judging you. Lucas and I have perfected the art of pretending like we were doing nothing. I can get my shirt back on in less than five seconds," Brooke said.

"Okay, um, I didn't need to hear that. But really, Brooke, we weren't doing anything. I'm not even on the pill yet," Haley explained.

"So it's going to happen soon?"

"No, Brooke that is definitely not what I'm saying. Look, just forget you ever saw anything, please," Haley pleaded. She really didn't want Deb to find out.

"I can do that. So, is Lucas around here anywhere?" Brooke asked looking around the hallway as if he was going to magically appear.

"I think he went to the store for something. But seriously Brooke, no mention of this at all," Haley raised her eyebrows at her loose-mouthed friend.

"Okay, I promise! I can't believe you would doubt _my_ secret keeping abilities," Brooke said.

"Thanks Brooke. Now, will you help me pick out an outfit?"

A couple of hours later, Haley was wearing a burnt orange short-sleeved dress and a pair of ballet flats. Her hair was styled B. Davis style, and she looked perfect. When she and Brooke walked into the kitchen, Nathan couldn't help but stare at Haley. She fit in so perfectly with him and his Mom. It had only been about seven weeks, but Nathan knew that he and Haley were meant to be together. It was something in his gut; he just couldn't describe it. But Nathan was brought out of his trance.

"Hey, pretty boy! Earth to Nathan!" Brooke called out.

"What?" Nathan raised his voice accidentally.

"I need the deep fried onions," Brooke condescendingly said. Nathan handed over the canister. Haley looked over at him and smiled. Her boyfriend could be so spacey sometimes.

"So, Haley, what are you planning on finding tomorrow during your Black Friday excursion?" Deb asked, trying to break the silence.

"Nothing special; it was never about finding deals and steals for me, it was always about just spending time with my family," Haley said, looking down. It was hard for her to think about those happy times now that she wasn't even speaking to them anymore. But maybe tonight would change that.

"Okay, as soon as Lucas gets back, we'll eat," Karen announced. Haley had been able to get to know Karen better, and she admired her for having Lucas so young and becoming a successful business owner.

Just then, Lucas walked in the door. "I got the milk," he said.

"Great, now let's eat!" Brooke said enthusiastically.

An hour later, everyone had gotten their fill of the delicious dinner that Karen and Deb had prepared. It was now time for Haley and Nathan to go see her family. "Well, I hate to be rude, but I did promise my parents that Nathan and I would make an appearance tonight," Haley explained. She really didn't want to leave; dinner had been so entertaining, and the rest of the evening promised to be even better. But Haley had promised her parents at least a little visit, and Nathan said he would come with her. So they got up and started to leave.

"Well, be safe on the roads, and don't be out too late. We'll see you later," Deb said.

"Thank you so much for dinner Deb and Karen. Everything was delicious," Haley replied.

"See you later Mom," Nathan said.

Nathan and Haley walked out to his car, and the ride over to the James residence was silent. Once in the driveway, Nathan asked, "Hales, are you ready?"

"Yeah. I knew this was going to happen one day, and today is that day," Haley shook her head. She never wanted it to come to this, but Taylor was Taylor, and she had messed things up. "Let's just go."

Haley got out of the car, and Nathan followed. They walked up the walkway, and Haley took a deep breath before she opened the door. Her parents were sitting in the living room with Quinn and Taylor. "Hi Mom. Hi Dad," Haley started.

"Haley Bob!" Lydia called out. She immediately got up and went over to hug her daughter. "I've missed you so much," she said as she pulled her daughter into a hug. "And Nathan, it's nice to see you too."

"Good to see you too Mr. and Mrs. James," Nathan nodded at the couple.

"Well, come on in Haley, don't be a stranger," Jimmy said, patting the couch next to him.

"Hi Haley. I've missed you so much," Quinn offered.

"I've missed you too, Quinnie. How's the studio going?" Haley asked about her sister's photography business.

"Oh, okay, I see how it is. Ignore me because I hit Nathan. Look Haley, I'm sorry okay. It was a stupid mistake, Haley. I regret it every day. I know we haven't always been extremely close, but you're my sister, Hales. I don't want us to be torn apart because of a mistake. I don't want this family to have to suffer because of me. I'm getting myself back together now. I'm taking classes online, and I got a job. I'm a part-time secretary for a law firm. I'm trying to change Haley. Because of you," Taylor explained.

"What do you mean because of me?" Haley was a little skeptical, but also touched that Taylor had said because of her, she was changing.

"Mom and Dad were always talking about how you made the honor roll, or how you had more money saved up for college, or about the new honors class you were taking, and I, I wanted to be like my little sister," Taylor said quietly.

Haley was so humbled. Her older sister was getting herself together because of her. "Well, I just, I'm still mad at you Taylor. I guess ever since freshmen year, I've been upset with you," Haley explained.

"I just, I was stupid back then okay. I guess, I was just jealous that you were still okay. You know, I was always the black sheep, and I didn't handle it well. But after that party, you handled yourself so well, and I was jealous that you were able to jump back into life," Taylor was tearing up. "I'm sorry Hales. If you would please forgive me, I really want to be a better person."

"I don't know if I can forgive you yet, but I do want a better relationship with you," Haley took a deep breath before she continued. "Look, Nathan and I are going Black Friday shopping tomorrow morning. Would, would you like to come with us?"

"Really?"

"Yes. We'll pick you up around seven?"

"Hales, that would mean so much to me. I can't wait," Taylor wiped a tear from her face.

"Great. Well, Nathan and I had better go. We told his Mom that we'd be back soon," Haley got up with Nathan at her side.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning," Taylor went over to hug her sister.

"Bye Mom and Dad. Quinnie, it was good to see you," Haley said her goodbyes and waved back to her family.

A chorus of byes was heard, and Nathan and Haley walked out of the James house. "Nathan, I feel so much better. I don't know when I'll be able to forgive my sister, but just to be able to be friends with her again is going to be great."

"That's great Haley," Nathan hugged her and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. Everything was working out, and it could only get better.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

**There it is everyone! Please read and review. I don't know if anyone is reading unless you guys leave reviews! I just want to know that people are reading and that I should continue writing this. I hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Can I Do It?

**Hi everyone! So I know I haven't updated in a while, and I am very, very, very, very, very, sorry. School got really busy, but my last final is tomorrow, so I will definitely be updating more often. I have the next couple of chapters already outlined, so once I get started writing them, hopefully it'll just come onto paper easily! Okay, please and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to OTH, just my storylines. **

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Well, that went better than I expected," Haley sighed when she and Nathan got back from dropping Taylor off after their shopping trip.

"I'm glad you guys are getting along," Nathan pulled his short girlfriend into a hug and then kissed her hair.

"I hope it lasts. Taylor does seem like she changed though. She couldn't stop talking about her college classes, and she said she thought she would get a promotion at Best Buy soon," Haley pondered out loud. Taylor did really seem like she was changing. She had even offered to have Nathan and Haley over to the James house the next Friday night so she could cook for them.

"I bet it will. If she's anything like me, the changes you inspired in her will stick," Nathan smiled. He thought back to the person he used to be, and he was a little disgusted. He couldn't believe that he had ever been such a person. But Haley had changed all of that; she had brought a new light into his life, and his stomach did somersaults when he thought about it.

"Okay, well, I'm tired, so I'm going to take a nap," Haley kissed her boyfriend. "I'll see you later," she smiled as she walked out of Nathan's room.

"Man, I'm lucky," Nathan whispered to himself. He smiled, and then went to see what his early-morning haul was.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful for Nathan and Haley. On Friday night, after a much needed nap for the both of them, they went to a movie with Lucas and Brooke. Saturday was spent at sports practice for the both of them, but that was nothing unusual. Sunday was spent getting ready for the school week.

But Monday was the first basketball game of the season, and the entire school was excited. The cheerleaders were in their uniforms, and the team was dressed in nice pants and blue shirts. Nathan and Haley walked up to school arm in arm, and they met up with Lucas and Brooke.

"Hey Tutor-Girl!" Brooke exclaimed as she pulled away from Lucas's arm. "You look so good in the uniform. I knew you were meant to be on the squad." Brooke changed her focus to Nathan and Lucas, "And you, basketball boys, are you guys pumped up for the game too?"

The boys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and mumbled some unintelligible form of yes. Brooke rolled her eyes, "Ugh, you boys are never nearly as excited as we are about the games."

"Well, after the pep rally they should be ready to play. Wait, there are pep rallies, right?" Haley questioned. She had never really paid attention to school activities; she was always so busy with school and working at the tutor center.

"Duh, Tutor-Girl, there are always pep rallies before home games. Where have you been the past three years?"

"Holed up in the tutor center," Lucas spoke up. Nathan, Haley, and Brooke all stopped to look over at the snide comment he had just made. "What, it's true, isn't it?"

"He's got a point there. I really never immersed myself in the school social life," Haley explained. She had never really wanted to, or had a reason too, at least not until Nathan came along.

"But still, Lucas, that was a little rude," Brooke raised her eyebrows at her boyfriend.

"Uh, you're right Brooke. Haley, I'm sorry for my rude comment," Lucas looked over to Brooke to see if she was satisfied. She nodded her head in approval.

"Thank you boyfriend," Brooke slipped her hand back through Lucas's.

"Hey, we better get to class. We're not going to be able to go to the basketball game if we get a tardy detention," Nathan said to the group.

"Geez, I have turned you into an even bigger dork than I am," Haley laughed at her tall, dorkish boyfriend.

After last period, which ended early, the entire student body filed into the gym for the pep rally. Brooke, being the head cheerleader, was already waiting in center court with a microphone. Once everyone was sitting, everybody heard the song _Let It Rock _fill the gym. Brooke started, "Hey Ravens, who's ready for another winning season?" They gym filled with cheers and applause. The rest of the cheerleaders were waiting on the sidelines.

"Peyton," Haley called out to her friend moments before they had to go out to center court for their routine.

"Yeah Hales?" Peyton replied.

"I, I… I can't do this," Haley shook her head. She was full of butterflies, and underneath her pom-poms, her hands were shaking.

"Haley, yes you can. It's just like at practice," Peyton was trying to calm down her obviously freaked out friend.

"No, Peyton, the entire school is out there," Haley pointed to the bleachers. "The kids that have never given a damn about me are going to be in the audience, laughing at me and judging me. I can't do this."

"Haley, I need you to calm down. Okay, um," Peyton looked around the gym, looking for something to distract Haley. She finally found what, or more appropriately, who, she was looking for. "Haley, look over there," Peyton pointed, "Just concentrate on Nathan the entire time. Pretend that it's just you, and the squad, and Nathan." As Peyton pointed over to her boyfriend, Haley couldn't help but smile. As the boys started to walk onto the court for the pep rally, Nathan stopped for a second to smile at Haley. It was exactly what she had needed.

Haley took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do it," she stated. If she didn't do it now, than she never would. Haley and Peyton turned their attention back to Brooke, who was welcoming the coach, Whitey, to the center.

To Haley, the rest of the pep rally seemed to go in slow motion, until it was time for the cheerleaders to do their routine. Then, everything seemed to move really fast for her. But Haley walked out onto the court with the rest of the squad, and they started their routine. Haley didn't make one mistake, and when the routine ended, Brooke walked over to her and pulled her into a big hug. "Tutor-Girl, that was awesome! Are you sure you weren't a cheerleader in a previous life?"

"Um, I don't think so," Haley laughed. She had never felt so accomplished. Sure, she felt good tutoring, and when she was in the chorus freshman year she felt pretty cool, but Haley had just done something that she had never thought she would ever do. She felt pretty good about herself.

After Brook walked away, Nathan jogged over to Haley. "Babe, that was so good. You're sure you never did pom team or something like that?"

"Why does everyone say that? I don't think I was that amazing. I just did the routine," Haley really didn't know what everyone was fussing about. "I'm just glad it's over with. I was a nervous wreck before we started!"

"Why? You did great! What calmed you down?" Nathan asked.

"Well," Haley hesitated, now wanting to seem needy. "Peyton told me to imagine that it was just me and you, and I saw you smile at me before you went out on the court. I saw you, and all the butterflies in my stomach just went away."

"You wanna know a secret?" Haley nodded back to Nathan. "I did the same thing… I always get pretty nervous during pep rallies, I don't know why, they're just pep rallies, but I looked at you, and I knew everything was going to be okay." Nathan smirked before continuing. "You're great, Hales. I love you," he looked down at her.

"I love you too Nate," Haley realized that if the two of them could get through a little pep rally, then, what couldn't they get through? "Let's get home hot shot. I hear you have an English test tomorrow?" Haley raised her eyebrows at Nathan.

"We were having such a good moment Hales," Nathan laughed.

"I know, but just reminding you why we were having a moment." Haley and Nathan intertwined their fingers, and walked out of the now empty gym together, smiling at each other.


	10. What Happened to Us?

**Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope you won't be too mad at me towards the end… Please read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to OTH (though I wish I did!)**

Nathan~Naley~Haley

That Monday night, the Ravens won their first game of the season, 78-60. Nathan scored 32 points and Lucas scored 29 points. It was a good game, and afterwards, Nathan, Haley, Brooke and Lucas all went out for dinner together. Everything was going well until Brooke said something about Winter Formal.

"So, do you guys want to go in on a limo together with Jake and Peyton or are do you guys want to go by yourselves?" Brooke asked right as the waiter came to take their order.

"Um, I'll come back," the waiter mumbled as he walked away.

"Brooke, what are you talking about?" Haley asked with raised eyebrows.

"Winter Formal, it's only five days away. Saturday night, the flier went out two weeks ago," Brooke explained trying to jog the memory of both Nathan and Haley.

"Oh geez, Hales, I saw them around school, and I didn't even think about it. I'm sorry," Nathan explained.

"Well, I mean, I guess it's okay. I didn't even think about it until now," Haley tried to pass it off, but secretly, ever since Haley had seen the posters around school, she had been waiting for Nathan to ask her. She thought that he just had something really big planned to ask her, but now that she knew that Nathan hadn't even known about the dance until now, when it was five days away, she was upset.

Lucas and Brooke both took the subtle hint to drop the whole Winter Formal subject, so instead they talked about the basketball team. The rest of the meal went fairly well, but Nathan knew that something was up with Haley. After dinner was over, the two couples went their separate ways, and once in the car, Haley was not her usual chatty self.

"Hales, what's up?" Nathan asked noticing the change in Haley's demeanor.

"Nathan, did really not have a clue about Winter Formal? I mean really, they announced it every day, and there were huge posters all around school," Haley said, raising her voice as she went on.

"I knew you were mad about that," Nathan slammed his hand against the steering wheel. "You could've just told me, you know. I wouldn't have gotten mad."

"Nathan, you would have. You would have had a fit about how it's not your job to know these things and how I could've said something to you," Haley explained.

"Well sorry I can't read minds. Haley, would you like to go this formal thingy?" Nathan asked, trying but miserably failing to be genuine.

"Nathan, I may be a little different than most girls, but I would still like to be asked to the Winter Formal like any other girl. You could be a little more genuine," Haley pointed out. She was really starting to get upset now. Nathan always told her that she was very special, but Haley sure didn't feel that special now. "Nate," Haley started, "You always say how I'm different than all of those other girls, but this is one of those times when you can show it."

Nathan pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Haley, get out," Nathan instructed as he got out of the car. Haley was puzzled; she could see the river, and across the river, the River Court. "Hales, look at this tree."

"Nathan, are you really going to compare me to a tree?" She asked.

"Just hear me out here. Every morning, when I would run this trail, I would pass this tree. I used to think that it wasn't really all that great, but then one day, I stopped to look at it," Nathan grabbed Haley's reluctant hand and led her over to the tree. "I had always seen other couples looking at it, and I wanted to know what the fuss was," Nathan pointed to a carving in the tree, "B.H. and J.L. I never knew who these people were, but one day, I looked at it again. It read 1950-2009. The next day I read an article about Bruno Hennings and Jenifer Lewis. They were married for 59 years until they were killed in a car accident the day before their 60th wedding anniversary." Nathan looked at Haley and smiled. "Hales, I want us to be like Bruno and Jenifer, minus the car accident of course. Haley James, would you allow me to escort you to Tree Hill High School's Winter Formal?"

"Nathan, you are so lucky that you are so damn charming. All you had to was ask that last part," Haley said as she jumped into Nathan's arms and kissed him. "Nathan, I love you and I know you love me, but things like Winter Formal are things that I never got to do before, and I guess it's my fault for not telling you that, but it should still be special for you too."

"Hales, now that I know that, I'll try and make social things more special for you since social things weren't your thing before," Nathan laughed at his girlfriend.

"Now you're making it sound like I was a recluse before!" Haley said while pouting.

"Babe, I know that you weren't. Now let's get home. You and Brooke have a lot to do if we're going to Winter Formal," Nathan said as he opened up Haley's car door.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

The next four and a half days was a mixture of Brooke and Haley preparing for Winter Formal, cheer and basketball practice, and school preparation for exams, which were in two weeks the three days before winter break. On Saturday morning, Brooke and Haley were getting their nails done when Brooke finally asked how Nathan asked Haley to the dance.

"Well, he took me to this tree across from the River Court and he showed me this tree carving," Haley started the story, but stopped as soon as she saw Brooke's eyebrows raised. "What? Brooke, please just tell me."

"Well, um, you're going to tell me how there was this carving that Nathan saw while he was running past this tree, and how one day there was a date on the tree. Then the next day, Nathan read an article about two people who were married for sixty years, and they had the same initials and there were the same dates as there were on the tree carving," Brooke explained the exact story that Haley was going to tell.

"Wh- How did you know that?" Haley shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, back before I started dating Lucas, I was with this guy, and he took me to that same tree and told me the same story. I'm sorry Tutor-Girl," Brooke offered a small smile to her upset friend.

"No, you know what, let's just finish our nails, and I'll deal with it when I get back to Nathan's," Haley said. She didn't want to ruin Brooke's last pre-Winter Formal.

About an hour later, Haley was dropped off by Brooke at Nathan's house so she could finish getting ready for dinner with Nathan, Lucas, and Brooke before the dance. As she walked in, Nathan was getting off the phone with someone. "Who was that?" Haley asked as she started to look through the mail.

"Well, that was Coach K from Duke. He said he wanted to talk to me about coming to watch me play. He watched a couple of my videos, and he thinks I could be a really good candidate for a basketball scholarship," Nathan smiled as he put the phone down, but then he noticed the sour look on Haley's face. "What's wrong?"

"Brooke told me about the story you told me about the tree. Apparently it's some line that others have used," Haley put down the mail and looked at Nathan.

He was dumbfounded. He had heard the story from Lucas, but he hadn't asked where Lucas had heard it from. "Look Hales, I heard that story from Lucas, I thought it was a cool story, so I showed you the tree. Maybe it's not true, but it is a cool urban legend," Nathan said.

"Nathan, it's a line! How did you not know that when Lucas told you? I have a question for you… Did you tell Peyton that story when you were dating her?" Haley raised her eyebrows.

"Why does it matter Haley?"

"Because it does! Please, just answer the question," Haley was getting tired of arguing with Nathan.

"I did, but what does it matter if I didn't know it was a line?" Nathan hated that he had to prove himself to Haley.

"Because it's like as if I'm just like Peyton, just another girl. And since when does Coach K have tapes of you playing? Did you send tapes to other schools?"

"Not yet, but that's because I really wanted to have the best chance with Duke," Nathan tried to redeem himself, but Haley wasn't having any of it.

"Nathan, I thought we agreed that we were going to talk about sending videos and applications before we sent them off," she said.

"I know, but Coach K called me, and he said that he'd heard a lot of good things about me. He asked for me to have Whitey send in a few videos, and before I could talk to you, Whitey had already sent game footage and a recommendation letter to Duke. I'm sorry Haley, I completely forgot to ever tell you. I forgot until I got the phone call today," Nathan explained.

"Whatever. I'm going to finish getting ready for dinner. Brooke and Lucas will be here in the limo in two hours, and I still need to finish my hair," Haley said as she walked away.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Dinner was awkward to say the lease. Brooke and Lucas knew that something was up between their two friends, but neither of them wanted to say anything in fear of sparking a fight at dinner. Nathan and Haley barely looked at each other, and in the limo ride to school for the dance, it was quiet except for the few attempts at small talk that Brooke made.

The limo arrived at the school, but Haley held Nathan back for a moment, "Look Nathan, I don't care what's going on between us right now, but please let's not ruin this night for Brooke. She's been looking forward to this for a really long time, and Lucas is doing his best to make this a memorable night for her. So let's put aside our differences for a night and just try to have fun."

"Fine," Nathan said as he got out of the limo. He thought that Haley had overreacted, and Haley thought that Nathan was being selfish.

Haley sighed and rolled her eyes at Nathan's immaturity. She wished he could see things from her perspective. They had agreed to tell each other everything about college, but now he completely went back on that promise. Now she just hoped that they could get through the hurdle and continue on their track to college.

Once inside, Nathan and Haley put on smiles for their picture, but after, they went their separate ways, Nathan going to talk to his basketball buddies, Haley heading off to talk to Peyton and a couple of the other cheerleaders. They didn't come to talk to each other until the first slow dance came on, when Nathan came over to ask Haley for her to have a dance with him. She reluctantly agreed, and he led her onto the dance floor.

"Look, Haley, I'm sorry about earlier," Nathan started as the song softly started to play.

"Nathan, you can't just apologize and think that everything is going to be fine again. I'm sorry, but I can't let you off the hook this time," Haley shook her head as they continued dancing.

"Come on Haley, what else do you want me to do?" Nathan let go of her hand and took his other hand off of her waist.

"I want you to tell me how you're going to change," Haley noticed that people were starting to look at the couple, so she lowered her voice. "Tell me the truth, and I'll be happy." Haley walked away. She needed to get away from Nathan, she needed to get away from the entire dance.

She walked outside and sat down on the steps. She didn't care if she got her dress dirty, at this point, it didn't matter to her. As soon as she sat down, the tears started falling. Haley had just wanted to have a fun night with her boyfriend, but now it was turning into something that could possibly ruin the future of her and Nathan's relationship.

Just as Haley was wiping the tears from her face, she heard footsteps behind her. She looked behind her and said, "Sorry… I was just… leaving," Haley got out between sniffles.

"No, no, you don't have to go," the boy said. "Hey, wait, you're Haley James, right?"

"Yeah," Haley replied.

"It's Josh Long," he said. Haley still didn't recognize the person. "You tutored me in geometry sophomore year."

"Oh, yeah, I remember you now! How are you?" Haley asked.

"Well, I got in early decision to UNC Chapel Hill," Josh replied.

"That's great. I'm still tutoring, and uh, still hoping to get into Stanford."

"Well, I hear you're dating Nathan Scott now. And you're a cheerleader? Finally sell into the whole popularity thing?"

"I didn't sell into the popularity thing. I started tutoring Nathan back at the beginning of the school year, and soon after we started dating. His friends, who are now my friends, convinced me to try out for cheerleading. But now I don't know if there'll be an us anymore," Haley explained as she looked down at her shoes.

"Why is that?"

"Well, Nathan and I just had a fight, and I don't know if I can deal with it anymore," Haley shook her head.

"Maybe you need a break from him," Josh said as he pushed a stray hair out of Haley's face.

"I don't know, maybe I," Haley was interrupted by Josh's lips crashing against hers.

At that moment, Nathan was walking out of the school. He didn't look up until he almost tripped on the two people making out on the steps. '_Wait_,' he thought, '_that girl looks a lot like Haley._' Then he realized that it was Haley.

"Haley? What the hell are you doing?" Nathan yelled. Haley pulled away from Josh.

"Nathan, I'm sorry, this isn't what it looks like," Haley started.

"No, Haley I don't want to hear it. I was upset tonight, but I didn't go off and make out with some girl. Believe me, I could've," Nathan explained.

"Well then, if you have so many other options, what are you doing with me?" Haley started tearing up again. "Nathan, I'm sorry. It's just, today we fought and I was pissed at you, and I don't know what was going through my head."

"Hales, kinda like you told me sorry wasn't going to be enough for me, sorry isn't going to help you now. I'm out of here. Have fun with whoever this guy is," Nathan shook his head and walked away.

"Look, I'm sorry Josh, but I need to go. Please, don't try and find me again," Haley got up and walked back into the dance.

She dried the rest of her tears as she found Brooke. "Brooke, do you know where Nathan went?"

"I think he left. He said he would walk home. What's up Tutor-Girl?"

"I, I kissed another guy, Brooke. I don't know why, I mean, I guess I do, but it's not like I wanted to. It was a spur of the moment thing. I tried to apologize to Nathan, but he wouldn't listen," Haley explained.

Brooke sighed then thought for moment. "Okay, look Haley. I don't think it was right for you to kiss another guy, but if you want to be with Nathan, then go be with Nathan. Try to explain to him why you did what you did, and then just go from there," Brooke explained. "Take the limo. Lucas and I were going to hang out at the River Court anyways."

"Thanks Brooke. I don't know what I would do without you," Haley said as she pulled Brooke into a hug.

"You're welcome Tutor-Girl. Now go get your man," Brooke said.

Haley nodded her head, then walked outside. She found the limo, then took a deep breath. She loved Nathan. She always felt safe when she was with him, and she felt comfortable telling him everything. Now she needed to do just that: tell him everything. Haley walked over to the limo, took another deep breath, and opened up the limo door.

She was nervous the entire ride back to Nathan's house. When she finally got there, it took her a few minutes before she was able to get out of the limo. When Haley finally got the nerve to get out, she was surprised to find Nathan so calmly shooting baskets in the driveway. "Hey," she started.

"Hey. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off with your new boyfriend?" Nathan asked as he shot a three-pointer.

"Look Nathan, that was a one-time thing. I was upset because of our fight, and I didn't handle it the right way. I'm sorry. I was wrong, and though I can't speak for you, I love you so much, and I want to be with you," Haley pleaded.

"Yeah, well it's not that easy Hales. I felt so betrayed when I saw you with that guy. I, I can't even describe how hurt I was," Nathan explained. He really couldn't put words to how he felt. "I can tell you this. When I saw you, I felt as if though everything I knew was pulled out from underneath me. I felt like everything I knew and trusted was a lie. I understand that we had a fight, but that gives you no right to go off and kiss another guy," Nathan stated. "I love you, but my trust has to be restored in you again."

"Nathan, how are we going to be together if you can't trust me?" Haley asked.

"Maybe we shouldn't be together then," Nathan replied. He hated to say it, but maybe it was the right thing to do for now.

"I don't want that. I'll do whatever it takes to get us back," Haley was crying now. She didn't want to lose Nathan.

"Well, I think for right now we should take a break," Nathan said.

"Fine. I'll get some of my stuff and go stay at Brooke's for the night," Haley said.

"Hales, you don't have to…"

"Nate, I don't think I can be around you right now. I'll see you around," Haley said as she walked into the house.

Nathan watched her walk in. Once she was inside, Nathan threw the basketball against the garage door. "Damn it!" he yelled in frustration. He hadn't meant to completely break up with Haley, it had just come out that way. Now, he didn't know what he was going to do.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

An hour later, Haley was at Brooke's house. She had felt bad that she had to cut the night short for her and Lucas, but Brooke was happy to help out Haley. Now, she was trying to help her figure out what to do about Nathan. "Okay Tutor-Girl, now that everything has happened and you can look at everything in detail, what do you think?" Brooke asked as she sat down with some chocolate in hand.

Before talking, Haley took some of the much needed comfort food. "Well, I think I overreacted about the whole Duke thing. Nathan was just doing something for his future, and even though I wish he would've told me, it is a good thing," Haley started.

"Okay, now what about how he asked you to the dance?" Brooke continued her line of questioning.

"I wish it had been more personal to us. You know, like if he hidden a piece of paper in a macaroni and cheese box with him asking me to the dance or something like that. I already told him this, but he always tells me how special I am, and asking me to the dance was one of those times to show me that," Haley explained. "But I do love him, and I want to be with him."

"Then I think tomorrow morning you should go over to Nathan's and talk to him. Tell him that you don't want to lose him. If he really loves you, he'll take you back," Brooke offered.

"Thanks Brooke. What would I do without such an awesome friend?" Haley said as she got up to hug Brooke.

"I don't know! But I'm glad to be here for you Hales," Brooke said as she returned the hug.

After going to Brooke's guest bedroom, Haley went to bed with a pit in her stomach. She had no idea what was coming to her.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

The next morning, Nathan woke up to his Mom's voice. "Nathan, Peyton is here to see you," Deb called up to Nathan. He groggily rubbed his eyes, then put on a white t-shirt before wandering downstairs.

"Hey Peyt," Nathan started. He was surprised to see her here, they hadn't really hung out alone since they had broken up before the beginning of the school year.

"So I heard about you and Haley. I'm sorry," Peyton offered.

"Why, it's not your fault Haley kissed another guy," Nathan half stated, half mumbled.

"Look Nathan, you deserve better, but if you love her, then you should give her a second chance," Peyton explained.

"Kind of like you gave me a second chance?" Nathan raised his eyebrows at his ex-girlfriend.

"You did a lot worse than just kiss another girl. You kissed multiple girls on multiple occasions," Peyton explained.

"Well, it was still a good relationship."

"When? When I would find you making out with random girls at parties or when you made fun of me for my 'loser music'?" Peyton teased.

"Well, we just made sense before I met Haley," Nathan looked at Peyton, who looked back at him.

"Yeah, before you met Haley you were a…" Peyton was interrupted by Nathan kissing her.

Haley walked up the pathway she had become so familiar with in the past month. She knocked on the door, and Deb answered. "Hi Haley. Are you here for Nathan?" she asked.

"Of course. Is he upstairs?" Haley asked in reply.

"Yep, you know the way," Deb said as she let Haley inside.

Haley thanked Deb and started walking upstairs. The door to Nathan's room was open, but Haley thought she saw someone else in there. _'Peyton? What is she doing here?' _Then Haley opened the door, and came face to face with her boyfriend doing exactly what she had done to him with one of her good friends.

**So I hope you guys aren't toooo mad at me, but this is obviously a Naley story, so they will obviously get back together. Don't fret readers! Please review!**


	11. On The Way Back

**Disclaimer: I own no characters, settings, etc. shown on OTH. Mark Schwahn and co. are responsible for all of that!**

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Nathan?" Haley asked, feeling the tears already start to form in her eyes.

Peyton pulled away from Nathan. "Haley, I'm sorry. I'm gonna go," Peyton said as she walked out of the room.

"Nathan, what the hell was that? I didn't know that we were completely broken up," Haley rolled her eyes at the situation that she was in. Now she knew exactly how Nathan had felt last night.

"Haley, I was the one who initiated the break," Nathan stated.

"Nathan, I came over here because I realized that I overreacted and I want to be with you. I love you Nathan," Haley felt the first tear roll down her cheek.

"I love you too Haley, but I don't know if I can get over what you did."

"Nathan, I'm willing to forget what I just saw if you will take me back," Haley pleaded. She just wanted her boyfriend back.

"Haley, I think you should leave now, please," Nathan pointed to the door.

"Please Nathan. I love you," Haley could feel the sobs coming.

"Haley, just leave," Nathan could feel the tears coming too.

Haley looked back at him and then got of the room as fast as she could. She ran out of the house, and once in Brooke's car, she let the sobs come out. She couldn't imagine her life without Nathan being an important part of it, but now she was going to have live without Nathan.

Meanwhile, Nathan was mad at himself for letting Haley go. He really wanted to be with Haley, he just needed a little time to process what had happened in the past 24 hours. He also felt tears rolling down his face. While in the process of thinking about him and Haley, Deb had walked upstairs and into her son's room.

"Nathan, honey, what's wrong?" Deb asked as she next to Nathan on his bed.

"No Mom, I messed up big time with Haley," Nathan said as he wiped tears off of his face.

"How sweetie?" Deb continued as she handed her son a tissue.

"Well, last night I walked out of the dance, and Haley was there kissing another guy. So I got pissed and then she came over here and I told her I wanted to go on a little break. Then this morning when Peyton came over, I kissed her. I don't know what I was thinking. Haley came in and she was pissed. I was too, I guess. I just want her back Mom, and I don't know what to do anymore," Nathan explained his predicament to his mom.

"Nathan, you need to tell her how you feel. If you really want to be with Haley, go get her, but give her some time first. You did just break her heart," Deb offered.

"I know. I think I want to talk to Lucas first, too," Nathan said.

"Okay, well get changed and go talk to him. I'll be around all day, so whenever you come home is fine," Deb patted Nathan on the back. She really liked Haley, and she knew how better Nathan was since dating Haley.

"Then I'm going to go talk to Lucas. I'll be back later Mom. Love you Mom," Nathan said as he walked out of the room.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Brooke, he totally rejected me," Haley started. "I went over to try and talk to him, and he wasn't having any of it. He wouldn't even listen to me."

"I don't know what to tell you Haley. Now you can at least say that you tried," Brooke said with sympathetic eyes.

"But I don't want to just give up on our relationship," Haley started to wipe the tears that were creeping their way back onto her face.

"Give it time Tutor-Girl. I think Nathan loves you enough that he'll eventually come around. For now, give him his space," Brooke recommended.

"Thanks Brooke," Haley managed a small smile at her friend's advice. She knew that giving Nathan his space was best for right now, but she didn't want to. She wanted to be with Nathan, and she wanted him to forgive her.

"No problem Hales. I think if fate has its way, you two will end up together," Brooke said. Brooke wanted to believe that Nathan and Haley would be together, because they were perfect together.

"Do you really believe that Brooke?" Haley asked, secretly hoping that fate was going to have its way.

"Yeah, I really do Tutor-Girl," Brooke sighed. "Okay, enough moping. We need to get to a salon for some girl time."

"Sounds good to me," Haley wiped the last of her tears and then got up to go spend time with Brooke.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Lucas, I really screwed things up this time," Nathan began.

"Hm, when have I heard that before?" Lucas teased.

"I'm being serious this time. I kissed Peyton, and Haley walked in. I told her that maybe we should for real break up," Nathan explained.

"Well, is that what you want?" Lucas asked.

"Of course not. I love Haley, and I want to be with her. I want to believe that we can make this work. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get us back to where we were before," Nathan sighed, thinking of how in love he and Haley were before Winter Formal.

"Then you have to tell her that. Ask her to meet you tonight so you can talk. Just talk," Lucas started. "Meet her at a really nice place, and bring her flowers. I know that it won't get her to fall into your arms, but it's a start."

"Thanks Lucas. I really don't want to completely lose her. I just, I needed some time to think you know?" Nathan shook his head. "I know that it wasn't completely my fault that we broke up, but I was the one who said the words."

"Nathan, don't beat yourself up too much. If she really loves you, she'll take you back," Lucas offered.

"All I know is that I want her back," Nathan said.

"Then go make the plans little brother," Lucas laughed. He really wanted it to work out for his brother and Haley. They both had so much love for the other, and Lucas could see it in their eyes.

"I actually think I'm going to ask Brooke to set it up. She's better with coming up with creative romantic things," Nathan said. '_Yeah, Brooke'll come up with something good,_' he thought. "Thanks Luke, I'll see you later," Nathan walked out of Lucas's house.

"Good luck Nate," Lucas said.

"Thanks." Nathan then pulled out his phone to call Brooke.

"Brooke, it's Nathan. I need a favor," Nathan started.

"And why should I do a favor for you? I know Haley kissed another guy, but you broke up with her after kissing Peyton. She should've broken up with you," Brooke spat back.

"Look, Brooke, I know I messed up, but I want to see Haley tonight. I was wondering if you could set something up for us?" Nathan hopefully asked.

Brooke's end was silent for a couple of seconds. "Well, because I know how much Tutor-Girl loves you and wants to get back with you, I'll help you out. Just meet Haley at my place at seven thirty."

"Thanks Brooke," Nathan smiled. He had a good feeling about tonight.

At the salon where Brooke and Haley were, Brooke turned back to Haley. "Change of plans for tonight Hales. You, Lucas, and I are going out tonight. Lucas is gonna pick us up at seven thirty," Brooke explained.

"Oh, okay. That's fine," Haley was a little excited. She had a reason to show off her new hairstyle.

"Well, after we're done here Hales, I have a few errands to run, but I'll drop you off at the house so you can get ready for your da- I mean for our night out," Brooke caught herself. She didn't want to reveal the real reason for Haley needing to get dressed up.

"Okay, cool," Haley said. She was a little suspicious of Brooke, but Brooke was always a little on the crazy side. Either way she was excited for whatever the night had in store.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

It was 7:25, and Haley was ready to go out with Lucas and Brooke. She was wearing one of her favorite green tops with a pair of form fitting jeans that were tight but not trashy. Her new hair was still done from the salon that afternoon, and her makeup was simple but still a little bolder than what Haley usually wore.

"Tutor-Girl, are you almost ready? Lucas is almost here," Brooke called up from her front foyer. The truth was, Nathan was already waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a dozen long-stemmed roses and the first card for their serial date. Brooke had set everything up, and Nathan was more than ready to try again with Haley.

"I'm coming Brooke. Oh, and where exactly are we going becau…" Haley stopped midsentence as she walked down the stairs. She was caught off guard when she saw Nathan standing there, smiling up at her.

When Nathan saw Haley, he was captivated. Her outfit hit her in all the right places, and her makeup was just enough to show off all of Haley's best facial features. The most surprising thing about Haley's appearance was her hair. Her previously long honey-blonde hair was now light brown and shoulder length. Nathan thought that the change suited her.

"Oh, Nathan. Are you coming out with the three of us tonight?" Haley asked, surprised to see Nathan.

"Well, I thought we were going out just you and me tonight to talk," Nathan said. He didn't know that Brooke had failed to tell Haley about the arrangements for tonight.

"Um, hold on a sec," Haley turned her attention to Brooke. "Brooke, can I see you for a moment?" Brooke nodded, and Haley pulled her to the side. "Brooke, you could've told me that I was going to be going on a date with Nathan tonight."

"Well, I wanted to make sure you would go. Now you're ready, and Nathan's here, so just go and have a good time with him."

"But Brooke…"

"Haley, please! Everything's all set up, and I did this for your own good. You don't have to get back together or anything, just go and talk to him," Brooke pleaded.

Haley sighed. "Fine, I'll go for your sake. But I'm not promising anything."

"That's fine, just go, and at any time you can come home," Brooke explained.

Haley nodded, then walked back to Nathan. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Well, have fun you two. I'm going out with Lucas, so Hales, I'll be home sometime! See ya later!" Brooke said as she walked out the door.

"So Haley, I'm sorry about tonight. I thought Brooke told you," Nathan started.

"No it's fine Nathan. I'm actually looking forward to spending some time with you. I'm just mad that Brooke didn't tell me what I was really doing tonight. I am happy to see you, you know," Haley shyly smiled. Even though they had been broken up for less than 24 hours, she missed knowing she and Nathan were together and that she had a best friend in him.

"I'm happy to see you too. I've wanted to see you so I can clear things up about this morning," Nathan explained.

"Well, let's get this date started. What does the first card say?" Haley nodded her head towards the card in Nathan's hand.

Nathan opened up the envelope. "Okay, it says, 'Walk to the docks and on the way, tell each other three qualities in the other person that you wish you possessed.'" Nathan looked over at Haley. "Okay, first is I wish I had your heart. Hales, you are the sweetest person I know. Second, I wish I could be as smart as you. Third, you are the most open-minded person I know. I know when you started tutoring me, you didn't want to be friends with me or even talk to me, but you let me in eventually, and I've changed for the better. Thanks Haley," Nathan smiled at Haley.

"Okay, I'll go. Nathan, you are so passionate and dedicated to everything you do. Basketball, getting tutored, whatever you do, I can see the passion in your eyes. I wish I could be so passionate about everything. Second, you are so kind. Maybe to the outside world, you're an asshole, but with our friends, you actually show your soft side. Third, I love how loving you are towards your Mom and Lucas. I mean, I know I grew up with two brothers and two sisters, but I was the baby. I was always kind of taken for granted. I was always just there, you know. But you love your Mom unconditionally and you are friends with Lucas despite not being friends with him in the past," Haley explained.

Nathan looked at Haley lovingly, then looked for their next card as they had reached their destination of the docks. Haley found it first, though. "Here's the next card. 'Take in the surrounding water for a minute. One whole minute of just you and your thoughts. Then, tell each other how you really feel about the other before proceeding to the next location.' Well, I guess we should be quiet then," Haley looked over at Nathan, then to the water, and then closed her eyes. Nathan laughed at Haley, then did the same.

A minute passed and the two looked at each other. "That was nice," Haley sighed and looked at Nathan's questioning look. "What, it was!"

"Okay, while, I'll start with my feelings about you. Well, Hales, you are the most special girl I have ever met. You brought a new light into my life. When I'm around you, my heart starts to beat a little faster. I love you so much Haley James," Nathan put his arm around Haley.

"Nathan Scott, when I met you, I thought you were a pompous, stupid, undedicated jerk. But now I know what a loving, caring, compassionate, and dedicated person you are. You awakened a new spirit in my soul Nathan, and words can't describe the feelings I have for you. The only thing I can say is I love you with all my heart Nathan Scott," Haley said as she scooted closer to him.

"Okay, well our next location is actually the restaurant where we had our first date. Shall we go Ms. James?" Nathan playfully asked.

"We shall Mr. Scott!" Haley replied. They walked the rest of the way in silence with the occasional glance to each other. At one point, Nathan and Haley's touched briefly, but then found their way back to each other and they walked the rest of the way to the restaurant with their hands interlocked.

"Well, here we are Hales," Nathan gestured to the restaurant.

"Let's go in. I think Brooke would've put the reservations under Scott for two," Haley said.

"Okay," Nathan said. They were led to their table, and once they sat down, they were greeted by Whitney, the same waitress who had waited on them on their first date.

"Hi, I'm Whitney and I'll be your… Hey wait a second, you guys were in here, what was it, not even three four months ago. I actually have a card for you from a Brooke Davis," Whitney said as she handed Nathan the card from Brooke.

"Thanks, we'll be ready to order in a few minutes," Haley said. She watched the waitress walk away, and then grabbed the card from Nathan. "Okay, it says, 'Order your least favorite food,'" Haley flipped over the card, "For each other. I hope you like clam chowder, because I sure don't," Haley laughed.

"Oh, it's on James. Let's see, I hope you like… Veal parmesan, cause I can't stand the stuff," Nathan smugly told Haley.

When they ordered, they made sure to tell Whitney what the other person would be having, not themselves. The rest of the meal went off well. After Nathan paid the check, they received a card from the hostess as they left.

"Okay, it says 'Tell each other a secret hobby or activity that you do that not many people know about.' Do you want to go first?" Nathan looked hopefully at Haley. He didn't want to admit what his secret hobby was.

"Um, sure. Well, something that is kind of known, but not really something that I like to make known. So you know how I was in chorus freshmen year?" Nathan nodded. "Well, I really wanted to try out for the lead part, but I was too shy, so I kind of downgraded my talent. The truth is, I really like to sing, and I was told that I could be the lead, but I didn't want to."

"Hales, you should share your talent with the world. Don't hide it," Nathan encouraged.

"Maybe one day I'll sing to you. But in the meantime, what's the talent that Nathan Scott is hiding from the world?" Haley asked. She was curious because all Nathan ever had time for was basketball, so she didn't know what he could possibly have time for.

"Well, you promise you won't laugh?" Haley nodded. "Well, ever since I met Lucas, I've really gotten into old cars. Lucas is helping me restore an old '78 Firebird. It's not really a hobby per say, but it's something I've become interested in recently."

"Nathan, that's so cool. You'll have to take me to the garage sometime," Haley said.

"Look, Hales, we really haven't talked at all about what happened, but I want to be together again. We can figure out all our issues, I promise, but I just want to be together. I want us to be us again," Nathan started.

"Nathan, I thought you were never going to say anything. I want to be with you. That kiss with that guy, it was a onetime thing. You're the only guy I want. I promise," Haley said.

"Hales, I love you so much," Nathan grabbed Haley in his arms and pulled her into a kiss.

When Haley pulled away, she said, "Nathan, I love you too." The rest of the way back to Brooke's house Haley was in Nathan's arms and their hands were intertwined.


	12. Whoa!

**Hi everyone! So I know it's been over a month since I updated, but I'm going to try and update at least once a week now. So, enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from OTH, unfortunately… **

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Even though they were technically back together, Haley still wanted to take things slow. She was staying the night at Brooke's, and in the morning, Nathan would pick her up for school. But just because they had school in the morning didn't mean that Brooke didn't want to hear every single detail of the night she had arranged, even if it meant that both her and Haley lost sleep.

"And that's pretty much it," Haley finished explaining her tale. "Brooke, thank you so much for arranging everything. I really appreciate it."

"Tutor-Girl, it was my pleasure. Anybody can see that you and Nathan are crazy for each other, this was just a minor setback," Brooke said.

"Yeah, but we would've figured out everything eventually," Haley commented.

"I know, but this was more fun," Brooke said as she got up to leave the guest room Haley was staying in. "See ya tomorrow Tutor-Girl!"

Haley smiled. Tomorrow… she would see Nathan and they would hopefully be on their way back to their pre-Winter Formal selves.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Hales, are you almost ready? Practice starts in ten minutes," Nathan reminded her. It was Monday afternoon, and the two had had a pretty uneventful day. Sure, there were rumors about the past Saturday night, but the couple was able to deal with that with poise. They were together, and that's all that mattered.

"Yeah, hold on Nate. I, I think I misplaced my history notes, and I need them to study for the exam next week," Haley replied. She and Nathan were standing at her locker as she got her stuff ready before they went to basketball and cheer practice. "You know what, you could fill up my water bottle for me and that's one less thing I have to do before practice," Haley plastered a begging pouty lip for Nathan.

Nathan played along, "Well, I don't know about that. Maybe, to speed you along, I could do you a favor." Nathan grabbed the water bottle, kissed Haley quickly, then went to the water fountain to fill it up.

As Haley finished finding all of her homework stuff, someone walked up behind her. She thought it was Nathan, so she playfully said, "Wow, that was fast. You must really want another..." Haley turned around, and it wasn't Nathan, it was Josh. "Josh, what are you doing here?" Haley hurriedly asked. She had no desire to talk to him.

"I'm here to see you, obviously," Josh flirted.

"Well, look, Saturday night was a mistake, okay? It was a onetime thing, as in it will never happen again," Haley explained coldly.

"What if we didn't tell Nathan? Then it could be a lot of times thing," Josh pulled Haley close to him.

"Look, I'm with Nathan, and like I said, Saturday was a mistake," Haley squirmed under Josh's arms.

"Yeah, but you could be with me, too," Josh pulled Haley closer.

"I think she said she's already with me," Nathan cleared his throat and said, startling Josh.

"Well, that's not what she said Saturday night," Josh eyed Nathan even though Nathan had quite a few inches on him.

"Josh, I told you that Saturday was a mistake! Now just leave me and Nathan alone!" Haley finally pulled away from him. "Please leave."

Josh glared at Haley and Nathan as Nathan wrapped his arm around her. "Whatever," he muttered under his breath as he walked away.

"Thanks Nate. That was so awkward. He wouldn't take no for an answer," Haley sighed. Now that she and Nathan were working on their issues, she didn't want anything to stand in their way.

"No problem Hales. I get a bad vibe from that guy," Nathan shook his head. "Look, let's forget about that loser. We've gotta get to practice otherwise Whitey and Brooke are going to make practice a living hell."

Haley smiled as she shut her locker and finally took her water bottle from her boyfriend.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"And then he just put his arm around me like we were boyfriend and girlfriend and kept pulling me closer to him. Tay, it was so bad. But then Nathan came back and he got the creeper to back off," Haley was talking to Taylor. Aside from seeing her at cheer practice, Haley hadn't really gotten a chance to spend much time with her sister. Though Haley had moved back into her parents' house, Taylor had found her own apartment to stay in. But now she was relaying the entire Josh situation to her.

"Ugh, sounds like a real loser. You know I had a crazy ex-boyfriend once…" Taylor started.

"You, have a crazy ex-boyfriend? Imagine," Haley laughed at her sister's usual opening line to stories. "Look, let's not focus on that right now. I'd rather think about happy things, like the fact that Brooke's cancelling practice on Friday, so maybe, you, Nathan, and I could go to dinner together!"

"Well, me plus one," Taylor smiled as she subtly told her sister that she was romantically involved with someone.

"Taylor, that's great! What's he like?" Haley asked.

"Well, don't chastise me for this, but I met him a frat party. He and I had a few casual dates, and now it's something more. He's a junior at Duke, and he's majoring in theatre arts. He's really great Hales."

"Wait, is this the guy you were telling me about on Thanksgiving?" Haley asked. Now she was really curious.

"Yeah, but it was getting serious then. Now we're really serious. Haley," Taylor sighed. "I think I'm in love."

"Oh Tay, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you," Haley said as Nathan walked into her bedroom. "Hey, look, Nathan just walked in, so I'll talk to you later. We'll see you and mystery man on Friday."

"Okay bye," Taylor hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Haley looked up and smiled at Nathan. "Okay, I know I didn't check with you first, but we're going to double date with Taylor and her boyfriend on Friday. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course. Thank God Whitey cancelled practice on Friday. I'm pretty pumped for the game on Thursday though," Nathan said.

"Yep…" Haley paused before continuing. "So I know we talked last night, but I think we should talk more about what Brooke so nicely dubbed the semi-fall of Naley."

"Uh, sure, let's talk," Nathan sat next to Haley on her bed. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Our trust. I want us to be able to trust each other a hundred percent. More so I want you to be able to trust me. I want to explain what was going on inside my head Saturday night," Haley sighed, then continued. "Well, I was upset that we were fighting, and I thought that maybe I could escape everything that was going on with us by kissing another guy. It was a very in the moment thing, and I don't know, I guess I was letting my anger take over my love for you. Because I do love you Nathan. With all of my heart."

"Haley, I already explained to you why I didn't tell you about the whole video thing. But I got upset when you were mad at me because I thought I was doing a good thing, you know, I thought I was being responsible. I was so proud of myself that maybe I had done something to make you proud. Then, you blew up at me, and to tell you the truth, my pride was hurt. I was, I was sad that you weren't proud of me." Nathan looked over to Haley. "Can you understand that Hales?"

"Nathan, I'm so sorry. I was so selfish. All I was thinking about was Stanford and I think I'm still scared about not knowing. You know, we have to send in our applications in a few weeks, and I'm nervous. I'm sorry," Haley pulled Nathan into a hug.

"It's fine now. I was just caught up in the entire drama of the thing. I love you Haley James," Nathan kissed her forehead.

"And I love you back Nathan Scott," Haley snuggled closer to Nathan. They stayed like that until Haley's tutoring instincts kicked in. "Hm, even though this is very nice, we have exams next week, so we need to get studying." Haley looked up at Nathan's face and laughed. They were on their way back to being normal.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

Thursday night's game came and went with the Ravens taking home another win. But Friday night came, and Nathan didn't feel good. "Hales… I don't think I can go tonight. I… threw up after… school, and now I'm all congested," Nathan said in between sniffles when Haley knocked on his door for their double date with Taylor.

"Nathan, it's fine. Here," Haley put her hand to Nathan's forehead. "You're burning up, too. I'll tell your Mom. You need to stay home." Haley looked at her watch, then back to Nathan. "Well, I wish I could stay longer, but if I don't go now I'm gonna be late for this dinner with Taylor. I'll see you later?"

"Ha, maybe if I'm… still alive. I feel like death warmed up. You… go and have fun," Nathan managed to say in between sniffles and coughs.

"Okay, well, I love you and I'll see you later," Haley said as she walked to the door. "I'm taking your car!" Haley said as she grabbed the keys. Nathan couldn't help but laugh at his girlfriend.

Once Haley had told Deb about Nathan's condition, she left the house and drove to the restaurant where she was meeting Taylor and her boyfriend. '_Whoa, Taylor has expensive taste,_' Haley thought as she pulled the car up to the valet.

Haley walked into the restaurant where she immediately saw Taylor sitting at a table with an empty seat next to her. "Hey Taylor. So, where's mystery man?" Haley asked as she sat down and put her napkin in her lap.

"He's in the bathroom. But I told him all about you and he's so excited to meet you!" Taylor said as she looked from Haley to the air behind her. "Oh, this is him! Hi hon!"

Haley turned around and her jaw dropped. _'Oh. My. God. This is NOT happening.'_


End file.
